For much of the stretch run, Sunday evening’s regular season finale projected to hold importance for the Atlanta Hawks in their pursuit of the best possible playoff seeding in the Eastern Conference. However, a win by the New York Knicks on Sunday afternoon, coupled with various results in recent days, led to a scenario in which the Southeast Division champion Hawks were left with nothing to play for in Game No. 72 against the Houston Rockets. As such, Atlanta deployed a shorthanded roster with multiple regulars — including Clint Capela, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kevin Huerter and Danilo Gallinari — on the sideline, but the Hawks still cruised to a 124-95 win for the team’s 41st victory of the 2020-21 season.
Hawks throttle Rockets in season finale, secure 41st win of 2020-21 season
