Atlanta Hawks vs Houston Rockets: Game Preview, Injury Report, Projected Starting Lineups for Tonight's Matchup

The Atlanta Hawks have a big matchup in H-Town tonight with a Rockets team that might be more vulnerable than their record suggests.

To be clear, this is still one of the toughest opponents the Hawks have faced as of late. The Rockets have won both of their earlier games against Atlanta and Kevin Durant needs no introduction. They've leaned into a strong defense and rebounding to propel them towards the top of the Western Conference and the early returns on that formula were excellent.

However, it just hasn't felt the same since losing Steven Adams for the season. The absence of Fred VanVleet is also sorely missed as the team attempts to incorporate Reed Sheppard into a role that fluctuates wildly alongside Amen Thompson growing into the heavy expectations placed on him. Their deadline inactivity suggests this is a team that is almost certainly destined to fall short in the postseason.

Still, it doesn't mean the Hawks can shortchange this matchup. They've won 11 straight games, but the Rockets have out-played the Hawks in both of their games over the past two seasons. If they can win tonight's game and the subsequent one against the Golden State Warriors, they'd be on a 13-game win streak with a good chance at grabbing the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference. That gives Atlanta a good cushion for potentially tough games against the Pistons and Celtics.

By the Numbers

Hawks, Atlanta Hawks, NBA, Jabari Smith Jr, Rockets, Houston Rockets, — Jan 29, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) drives on Atlanta Hawks forward Corey Kispert (24) in the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Mavericks aren't exactly a threat to go to the Finals, but they've been very good at clamping up on shooters and the Hawks still hit 40% of their threes. It should come as little surprise that Atlanta is 7th in points, 13th in FG%, 6th in 3P%, 20th in FT%, 18th in rebounds (22nd in OREB, 12th in DREB), 1st in assists, and 11th in turnovers per game. They're 14th in offensive rating this year.

It's not ideal that they allowed the Mavericks to score 120 points, but the Hawks have been playing better defense as of late. They are 20th in points allowed, 17th in FG% allowed, 14th in 3P% allowed, 26th in rebounds allowed, 5th in steals, and 19th in blocks. They're 11th in defensive rating this year.

The Rockets' offense is entirely too reliant on whether Kevin Durant can turn back the clock every night, but they still have potential due to having Durant and Sengun. They're 22nd in points, 10th in FG%, 11th in 3P%, 27th in FT%, 1st in rebounds (1st in OREB, 11th in DREB), 27th in assists, and 26th in turnovers per game. They're 11th in offensive rating this season.

While the offense has been disappointing, it's hard to field a bad defense with Amen Thompson on the court and their sheer size. Houston has been a top-10 defense and they rank 8th in points allowed, 7th in FG% allowed, 9th in 3P% allowed, 1st in rebounds allowed, 11th in steals, and 3rd in blocks. They're 8th in defensive rating.

Three Reasons Atlanta Can Win This Game

Hawks, Atlanta Hawks, NBA, Tate, Jae'Sean Tate, Rockets, Houston Rocket — Jan 29, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Houston Rockets forward Jae'sean Tate (8) grabs a rebound against the Atlanta Hawks in the third quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Rockets aren't exactly a team that excels when it comes to winning the turnover margin. They turn the ball over at the fourth-highest frequency per game and they aren't a great passing team, either. Therefore, one of the keys to this matchup will be Atlanta's ability to rack up steals and dominate in transition. They did not do that during their last game against the Rockets - both teams were equal with 12 turnovers. If Dyson Daniels can dislodge a few more wayward dribbles than usual while the rest of Atlanta's roster continue to play solid defense, the TO battle should be much more decisive in Atlanta's favor.

Alperen Sengun is a talented player who's proven capable of playing at an All-Star level, but the Hawks have actually defended him very well recently. He's scored a combined 27 points on 11-33 shooting in the two most recent games he's played against Atlanta and one of those games was without Jalen Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu. He's a threat on the boards, but Sengun isn't really an imposing force in the paint and he's shooting a barely-average 68% at the rim this season.

The Hawks have shown that they have enough shooters to threaten teams that are usually capable of silencing perimeter options and they'll need to bring some of that in tonight's game. The Rockets have a ton of size in their starting lineup and Amen Thompson is still one of the best individual defenders in the NBA. I expect that he'll take a few possessions on Jalen Johnson, which should be fun to watch since Johnson didn't play in the January matchup versus Houston.

Three Reasons Atlanta Might Lose This Game

Hawks, Atlanta Hawks, NBA, Durant, Kevin Durant, Rockets, Houston Rocket — Jan 29, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) is defended by Atlanta Hawks forward Mouhamed Gueye (18) in the third quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

While it seems obvious, Kevin Durant is going to be a handful for the Hawks to stop. He carried the Rockets in their January win, scoring 31 points on 12-22 shooting and finishing as a +12. Mo Gueye isn't really an answer for what Durant has to offer, so this will be a huge test for Jalen Johnson's re-discovery of his defensive form. This might be a game where Johnson has less to offer as a scorer and playmaker due to how tightly he'll be playing KD in the midrange and on the perimeter.

Houston's rebounding arguably swung the first game because the Rockets absolutely outclassed the Hawks on the glass. They had 22 offensive rebounds to Atlanta's 14, which gave them the extra possesions to pull away. Again, the Hawks weren't at full strength when they last played, but there's no excuse for Atlanta to put up a more convincing rebounding effort tonight. The Rockets will also get Tari Eason back for this game, which will help them significantly when it comes to crashing the glass.

It'll be really intriguing to see how the Hawks stop Reed Sheppard from getting hot off the bench and getting the Rockets' offense organized. Sheppard hasn't definitively shown the form that made him the third overall pick, but he's been showing a ton of progress. He gets a ton of steals and increased his PPG from 4.4 as a rookie to 13.4 points as a sophomore on 42.7/38.7/79.7 shooting splits. He's been a legitimate contender for Sixth Man of the Year and the Hawks are likely going to put CJ McCollum on him in order to determine which swingman can out-shoot the other. There's a good chance that Sheppard gets hot and buries the Hawks' somewhat leaky perimeter defense.

Injury Report

Atlanta Hawks- Jonathan Kuminga is out.

Houston Rockets - Jae'Sean Tate, Steven Adams, Fred VanVleet are all out..

How to Watch

Here is how you can watch tonight's game:

Tip-off time: 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Location: Toyota Center, Houston, TX

Where to Watch: FanDuel Sports Network and NBATV

Projected Starting Lineups

Hawks

G - CJ McCollum

G - Dyson Daniels

F - Nickeil Alexander-Walker

F - Jalen Johnson

C - Onyeka Okongwu

Rockets

G - Amen Thompson

G - Tari Eason

F - Kevin Durant

F - Jabari Smith Jr

C - Alperen Sengun

I think the Rockets are going to be a difficult matchup for the Hawks to handle. Both teams are at reasonably full strength and the Durant matchup has never been a very easy one for Atlanta. There's a huge disparity in the rebounding and the Hawks probably won't be able to bury the Rockets with their shooting. This is a game that should be close, but will likely result in their winning streak getting snapped.