Houston Rockets Home Winning Streak Ends with Loss to Atlanta Hawks
HOUSTON — Jabari Smith Jr. scored a career-high 34 points, but his efforts were not enough to prevent a 134-127 loss to the Atlanta Hawks Wednesday night. Smith shot 8 of 14 from the field, 4 of 7 from behind the arc. He also added 13 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season.
Fred VanVleet continued his impressive stretch with 32 points and 15 assists. Alperen Şengün added 14 points and nine rebounds in the loss.
The Rockets had a rough start on the defensive end trying to contain the Hawks. They allowed Atlanta to connect on a dozen of their first 24 attempts from behind the arc, and as a result, the Hawks' hot shooting led to a 20-point deficit (71-51) with 2:42 left in the second quarter.
Dillon Brooks drilled a triple on the Rockets' next offensive possession. His' basket helped Houston close the first half on a 14-6 run. The Rockets were able to use the momentum en route to outscoring the Hawks 35-21 during the third quarter. Brooks finished with nine points.
The Hawks began the fourth quarter on a 9-0 run, which led to a 127-109 lead with 6:00 left in the fourth quarter.
Houston embarked on a 14-0 run to cut Atlanta's 18-point lead to four in the final two minutes. Unfortunately, the Hawks closed the game on a 7-4 run. Trae Young led the Hawks with 30 points and 14 assists. Dejounte Murray added 21 points in the win.
Bogdan Bogdanovic gave the Hawks a huge boost off the bench with 22 points, five assists and four rebounds off the bench.
Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) shoots the ball as Atlanta Hawks forward De'Andre Hunter (12) defends during the first quarter at Toyota Center.
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Home winning streak ends
The Rockets' 11-game home winning streak ended with a loss to the Hawks. They are now 11-2 inside the Toyota Center, with their other home defeat coming on Oct. 29 in a loss against the Golden State Warriors.
Up Next:
The Rockets will return to the Toyota Center to end their two-game homestand Friday night against the Dallas Mavericks. The game will also mark the first of a back-to-back, which will conclude Saturday night against the New Orleans Pelicans. Tip-off between the Rockets and Mavericks is slated for 7:00 p.m. CDT.
