The season is only one game old, yet Saturday night already offers a bright early clue about two teams with big plans. As of Oct. 22, the Atlanta Hawks and Houston Rockets are both 1-0, and both opened with more than 125 points. Now they meet in Atlanta at 8:30 p.m. EDT, where Jalen Johnson’s rising Hawks will try to slow Kevin Durant’s veteran-led Rockets.

Atlanta begins this season with a new shape. The Hawks are building around Johnson, their 6-foot-8 forward who can grab a rebound, race up the floor, attack the rim, and set up teammates. In the opener, he posted 20 points, 14 rebounds, and six assists. That all-around work matters because Atlanta wants more players involved instead of leaning on one scorer.

The Hawks showed that idea in their 132-125 win over Orlando. Nickeil Alexander-Walker led the way with 31 points and hit five of eight shots from three-point range. His sharp shooting gives Johnson more room to drive. Dyson Daniels added 20 points and five steals, a huge number that shows how often he jumped passing lanes or stripped the ball away. Daniels will be a key character Saturday, since Houston has several powerful ball handlers.

That is where the Rockets become a tough riddle. Houston rolled past Dallas 128-110 behind crisp passing, making 32 assists as a team. Alperen Sengun is the center of that attack. He is a big man with clever spins, fakes, and soft shots near the basket, but he can also find cutters from the post. His 23 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in the opener showed why defenders cannot focus on only one job against him.

Then comes Durant, who scored 30 points while making nearly two-thirds of his shots in Houston’s first game. At 6-foot-11, he can shoot over smaller defenders from midrange and beyond the three-point line. Atlanta’s long wing defenders, including Daniels and Alexander-Walker, must make every catch difficult without losing track of Sengun inside.

Houston also has Amen Thompson, a 6-foot-7 guard-forward who moves like a sprinter and rebounds like a frontcourt player. He had 10 rebounds in the opener. Thompson and Sengun give the Rockets a size edge, while Atlanta can answer with quick hands and switching defenders who can guard different spots.

Neither club has protected the ball perfectly so far. Atlanta had 17 turnovers in its opener, while Houston had 16. The team that turns fewer possessions into giveaways could control the fast pace. Atlanta’s home floor and pressure defense make this close, but Houston’s deeper size, hot shooting in its opener, and Durant’s late-game scoring give the Rockets the edge. Prediction: Houston wins.

Jalen Johnson and Kevin Durant Bring Early Season Fire to Atlanta