Houston Beats Atlanta in Back-and-Forth Thriller

The Houston Rockets beat the Atlanta Hawks 121-114. All of Houston's starters scored in double-digits.

Mar 25, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) shoots the ball as Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher (10) defends during the first quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Houston Rockets won 121-114 over the Atlanta Hawks. Jalen Green scored 32 points.

Green led the Rockets with 10 points in the first quarter, which was a period of scoring runs. Ime Udoka called a timeout just under halfway into the quarter, due to Atlanta going on a 10-0 run, giving them a 12-9 lead over Houston. Off-ball screens hurt the Rockets during this run, leading to the Hawks' run. Green ended Atlanta's 14-0 run with an emphatic dunk. Houston ended the quarter on a scoring run of their own, leading 30-23 after the first 12 minutes of game time.

Houston started cruising in the second period, going up 45-26 almost five minutes into the quarter. Running a zone defense stopped the Hawks from scoring, giving the Rockets a 25-5 point run, causing Atlanta to call a timeout. They also stopped Trae Young from scoring all the way up until the 5:05 mark in the second quarter. Young scored 11 straight, including his first made shot, as Houston was unable to defend him off-ball. Green eclipsed 6,000 points in his career, helping the Rockets control the entire second quarter, going into halftime up 65-48.

Atlanta had not been shooting well all game, and Houston took advantage of that throughout the third quarter. After Young got hot towards the end of the second quarter, Udoka had the Rockets blitz him in the third period. It led Houston to control the entire period, gaining a 20-point lead of 94-74 going into the break between the third and fourth quarters.

The Hawks went on a 17-2 run to open up the fourth quarter without Young on the court, shrinking the Rockets' lead to just four points. Udoka put the double-big lineup of Steven Adams and Alperen Sengun in the game to grab rebounds to try and re-grow their lead. Not only did it allow for rebounds, but it helped with spacing as Jabari Smith Jr. cashed in two big threes to give Houston an 11-point lead. Georges Niang made a three for Atlanta with 22 seconds left in the game to put them down by three points. Fred VanVleet was sent to the free throw line with 14 seconds left to play and put the Rockets up by five points.

The Rockets face the Utah Jazz on Thursday night at Delta Center. Tip-off is set for 8:00 p.m. CST.