Clint Capela impresses in Atlanta’s easy win over Houston

With the defeat on Saturday night against the Miami Heat, the Georgia team had lost the opportunity to finish the regular season in seventh place, which would have improved the starting position for the play-in tournament for a place in the playoffs insofar as it improved the Hawks could have qualified for the decisive phase of the year even with a defeat.

But despite that disappointment, Nate McMillan’s side went into the 82nd game of qualifying with focus. After 2:14 minutes, Atlanta took the lead for the first time and was never to lose it again.

Houston, the weakest team in the league with just 20 victories overall, was no benchmark for the Hawks, allowing Coach McMillan to spread the load across many shoulders without having a negative impact on the floor. In the fourth part of the game, the lead grew to 23 points.

The top pitcher in the Hawks’ ranks was playmaker Trae Young with 28 points, but Clint Capela also put in a good performance, contributing 18 points and 13 rebounds in just 23 minutes on the field. The Geneva center was only offensively more productive seven times this season.

For the Atlanta Hawks, the game continues on Thursday night with a home game against the Charlotte Hornets. If they are victorious, they will meet the loser of the other game of the play-in tournament in the east on Saturday night, in which the Brooklyn Nets and the Cleveland Cavaliers face off.

If the Hawks have the upper hand, they will be seeded eighth for the playoffs and will challenge the Miami Heat, the best team in the Eastern Conference, on Monday night.