The Atlanta Hawks survived an early barrage of hot shooting from the Houston Rockets and trail 51-44 at halftime. The Hawks went inside in the second quarter and briefly pulled to within three points before three point buckets from Kevin Martin and Chase Budinger gave the Rockets some cushion.
Houston hit half of their 10 attempts from beyond-the-arc in the first half on their way to 46 percent shooting. The Rockets also hold a 24-20 rebounding advantage that includes seven on the offensive glass. The Hawks got to the free throw line 10 times in the first half but failed to capitalize by only hitting five.
Josh Smith leads Atlanta with 10 points and four rebounds but was one of the main culprits in Atlanta's free throw woes going just 2-6. Joe Johnson hit half of his eight attempts and has nine points to go along with two assists and two blocked shots. Marvin Williams and Al Horford each finished the half with eight points. Jeff Teague didn't attempt a shot in the first half and has four assists. Atlanta will need him to be much more aggressive in the second half.
Kevin Martin leads all scorers with 13 points including 3-4 from three-point range. Luis Scola went to the bench early in the second with three personal fouls but has 10 points. Chase Budinger also has 10 points for Houston. Kyle Lowry is scoreless in the game but has had an impact with nine first half assists.
For more on this game Atlanta fans should check out Peachtree Hoops, Houston Rocketsfans should stop by The Dream Shake. For updates on everything NBA Basketball, fans should check out SB Nation's NBA Basketball hub.