Three Takeaways From Hawks 122-113 Win Over the Rockets

Atlanta has now won six out of their last eight games

The Hawks won again last night and continue to play well despite missing some key pieces. 

The Hawks won their matchup against the Houston Rockets and they did it behind a balanced effort from the offense. The Hawks defense also had one of its better games of the year and while Houston was also missing some key players, that has not stopped the Hawks from losing to someone before or giving up a lot of points. 

Atlanta has two more games before they get to the All-Star break and they have a chance to win both and make a small move up the standings. 

So what are the big takeaways from last night's game?

1. Kobe Bufkin got his first real minutes of playing time

Hawks guard Kobe Bufkin / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Hawks fans have been clamoring to see Bufkin be a part of the rotation and they got their wish last night. With De'Andre Hunter, Patty Mills, and Wesley Matthews out, that opened up some rotation minutes for their first round pick. 

He did not make any highlight plays, but he played good defense and looked like he knew what he was doing on that end of the court. He played nearly 16 minutes and scored 3 points on 1-4 shooting. 

Will Bufkin continue to be a part of the rotation going forward? That is tough to say until Atlanta is healthy. He did a good enough job last night to warrant some minutes though. 

2. Saddiq Bey Continues to Play Well

After going through a rough patch where he was not shooting well, Saddiq Bey has been playing really well over the past few games. 

Last night he had 24 points, six rebounds, and three assists and shot 8-15 from the field and 4-9 from three. He is an important player for the Hawks and while he has his struggles defensively, Bey can be a key player when scoring the ball and rebounding well. Hopefully for the Hawks, his recent play is just a sign of things to come. 

3. Bogdan Bogdanovic had another rough game

On both ends of the floor last night, Bogdan Bogdanovic had a rough game. 

Bogdanovic has been one of the best players on the Hawks all season long, but these past few games have been his worst stretch of the season. Last night, he scored eight points on 3-12 shooting and he was only 1-6 on three-point shots. 

Hopefully, this stretch of play from Bogdanovic does not last long, but I do think it is notable. When Dejounte Murray was out of the lineup for matchups with the Celtics and Clippers, Atlanta could have really used his offense and he was not able to provide it. He has been an excellent player off the bench this year, but is going through a slump on offense. 

Dejounte Murray Scores 34 Points in Return to the Lineup As Atlanta Defeats Houston 122-113

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