The Houston Rockets lost 92 - 86 against the Atlanta Hawks in a game which had all the tension of a consolation game, virtually none.
Any observer, fan, coach or player had their sites set on how the rotations, minutes and shooting workload has meaning for the future.
Houston held a single digit lead through most of the game, but let the Hawks takeover in the fourth quarter. Houston went to its starting lineup in an attempt to recover, but their offense sputtered.
In an attempt to win Wednesday's elimination game Houston leaned hard on Isaiah Taylor, Troy Williams, Chris Johnson, Tim Quarterman and Nanu Onuaku.