Quinn Snyder points to ‘significant’ absenteeism as a factor in the loss

ATLANTA, Ga. – Back-to-backs are probably never easy, especially when it’s not back-to-back home games. That was the reality for Atlanta Hawksas they had just beaten the Boston Celtics before returning home to face the Houston Rockets. They couldn’t complain much; The Rockets were coming off the first game of back-to-back games, except their best player wasn’t ruled out hours before the game, and their starting center didn’t need dental surgery after getting punched in the mouth the night before.

The The Hawks were without Jaylen Johnson and Onieka Okongwu in this match, and that was evident until the end of the first quarter.

“Not missing Jalen and Oneka is significant,” Quinn Snyder he said after the game. “Their ability to create advantages, that’s something we rely on offensively. When we got into the paint, we were trying to get shots, and then we were taking the ball. It was (the Rockets’) tempo in part because of the offensive rebounds, which makes us more challenging.

“These two guys are two of our better players.”

Despite being without two key players, the Hawks managed to keep the score in overtime. Both teams looked like they were out of sorts.

“Bid-to-backs are tough; you just have to go through it, try to get into the game plan,” CJ McCollum said. “Take care of your body, take care of your mind. Obviously, it’s hard for them back-to-back. They flew in the day of the game, tried to calm down, and it seemed like we were both playing yesterday.”

What was a close game in the first half turned into the complete opposite for the Hawks in the second half. Turnovers led to easy points for the Rockets. They couldn’t grab the rebound, leading to 22 offensive rebounds for the Rockets and plenty of second-chance opportunities. To make matters worse, Kevin Durant remembered who he was.

“When he’s on the foul line, it’s very hard to double him there, and a lot of times he’s going to shoot before it’s a double match,” Snyder said. “When you commit two players to him, that’s when you get hurt on the glass. He’s obviously an elite player. But we did a good job with some other guys.”

The Rockets had a double-digit lead in the third quarter, and improved the score in the fourth. The Hawks tried to go all out for a potential final try, but they he did not have enough manpower on offense, and couldn’t get enough stops on defense.

“They got a little bit of everything. It went from two to seven and then it went up to about 15. And it was tough to come back, especially in a low-possession game where they get offensive rebounds,” McCollum said.

“The way we play, we should be able to generate (offense) ourselves,” Corey Kispert said. “Houston does a good job of getting your hands on you and slowing you down. There were times during the game when you had that flow, but if you miss a guy like JJ or O, it takes a while to get used to it. We just couldn’t get him out of the mud today.”

Corey on not having Jalen or Oneka tonight:

“The way we play, we should be able to generate (offense) ourselves. Houston does a good job of getting their hands on you and slowing you down.

“Missing a guy like JJ or O takes a while to get used to.” pic.tvitter.com/VOOnlDSTks

— Malik Brown (@_MalikATL) January 30, 2026

Yes, it was a tough day at the office for the Hawks, but they had a lot going against them. The second night of back-to-back games, plus the absence of two key players, is not ideal. The good news is that they shouldn’t find themselves in that predicament very often moving forward.