All of the defense must be across the street at the Georgia Dome because the Hawks and the Rockets are enjoying a rather loose affair at Philips Arena. Both teams shot 56% from the field in the first half as neither have been able to slow down the other.
Rockets power forward Luis Scola leads all scorers with 18 points at the break. The Hawks have three players in double figures led by Josh Smith's 15 points. Joe Johnson recovered from two early fouls to score 13 points while Al Horford added 10 points and six first half assists. Jamal Crawford has eight points off the bench for Atlanta
Houston got a lift from the play of its bench in the first half. Jordan Hill (8 pts) and Patrick Patterson (6 pts) combined to keep the Rockets in the game. Both teams are playing at a fast pace and it will be interesting to see if Houston can keep up its good play after playing an overtime game last night.
Whichever team is able to tighten the screws defensively will have a golden opportunity to pull out a victory in this one.