Entering the new season, the Hawks figured they would be able to score with the new pieces in place in the lineup. During their first night, however, the struggled offensively like the Hawks of old.

The Hawks shot less than 37 percent from the field and missed several scoring opportunities down the stretch in an 89-84 overtime loss to the Rockets. In his first regular-season game as a Hawk, Marietta native Shareef Abdur-Rahim had 28 points and 18 rebounds but also committed three of his six turnovers during key moments at the end of regulation and the early moments of overtime.

"I have to be stronger with the ball," Abdur-Rahim said. "I can do better. No excuses."

The Hawks didn't receive much scoring help from Jason Terry, who scored six points on 2-of-9 shooting in 42 minutes. Theo Ratliff, playing in his first regular-season game since being acquired from Philadelphia in February, scored 12 points.

Watching the Hawks struggle to generate offense was downright scary as the Rockets tried to combat Abdur-Rahim's scoring with a zone defense that forced the guards to shoot from the perimeter. They looked for a second scorer to step up, and coach Lon Kruger went 11 deep searching for an answer.