Hawks Hold Off Rockets Second Half Comeback and Win 134-127 on the road

Atlanta had to hold off a rally from the Rockets in the second half of the game tonight, but they were able to hold on and hand Houston only its second home loss of the season and perhaps hand the Hawks their best win of the season.

Houston is one of the elite defensive teams in the NBA (2nd in points per 100 possessions) and Atlanta did not have a lot of trouble scoring on the Rockets. The Hawks finished the game shooting 51.6% from the field and 42.5% from three, against the best three-point shooting defense in the NBA. Trae Young had his fifth straight game of at least 30 points and 10 assists. He is playing like one of the top players in the NBA right now, not just guards or point guards. Dejounte Murray had 21 points, Bogdan Bogdanovic had 22 points in his return from a two-game absence, and Onyeka Okongwu had one of his best games of the season.

The only players with 30+ points and 10+ assists in five consecutive games in NBA history:

▪️Oscar Robertson (2x)
▪️Russell Westbrook
▪️Michael Jordan
▪️Nate Archibald
▪️Trae Young

That's the list. pic.twitter.com/KsrB05zjgS
— Bally Sports South (@BallySportsSO) December 21, 2023

Houston had big nights from Jabari Smith (34 points and 13 rebounds) and Fred VanVleet (32 points and 12 assists), but they could not mount a big enough comeback to defend their home court. Houston shot 49.4% from the field and 47.1% from three for the game.

After missing games against the Cavs and the Pistons, Bogdanovic made his return, giving Atlanta back one of their top offensive weapons and perhaps the best bench player in the NBA. The starting lineup was Young, Murray, De'Andre Hunter, Saddiq Bey, and Clint Capela, The Rockets started VanVleet, Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, Jabari Smith, and Alperen Sengun.

It was all Atlanta in the first half. The Hawks raced out to a 39-29 lead after the first quarter, but it was Murray not Young, that led the way. He had 14 points in the opening quarter and the Hawks were getting what they wanted against the Rocket's elite defense. One thing that stood out about the first couple of quarters was the Hawks's willingness to get up as many three-point attempts as they could. The Rockets played better in the second quarter, but Atlanta still found themselves up by 12 and they got the lead to nearly 20 in the first half before the Rockets closed strong.

In the third quarter, it looked like a Hawks collapse was imminent. With 4:12 left to go in the game, VanVleet completed a three-point play to take the lead. After looking impressive for two quarters, Houston dominated the third and it looked like Atlanta was going to blow another game. Houston led 100-98 going to the final quarter.

Then the Hawks went on a 9-0 run to open the lead back to seven points, 107-100. Trae Young shook off some early foul trouble and was able to get a nice two-man game going with Okongwu, who had three dunks off of three assists from Young during this run.

This play design 🔥@TheTraeYoung ➡️ @LeaderOfHorde ➡️ @BigO21_ #HawksHighlight pic.twitter.com/G4zfaW9FsD
— Bally Sports: Hawks (@HawksOnBally) December 21, 2023

The Hawks grabbed control of the game after that and they ended the Rocket's 11-game home winning streak tonight 134-127.

Atlanta is going to have a big task in front of them on Friday night. They travel to face the Heat, who already have a win over the Hawks this season. Miami is one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference and has given the Hawks plenty of trouble through the past couple of years.

Tip-off is at 8:00 p.m. on Friday night in Miami.

Here is How You Can Vote For the Hawks For The 2024 NBA All-Star Game

Follow Jackson on X here: @jacksoncaudell

Follow Hawks coverage on Facebook here: All Hawks