The Houston Rockets defeated the Atlanta Hawks, 121-105, at State Farm Arena on Tuesday evening.
While Atlanta (24-48) hung tight for much of the game, Houston (45-26) ultimately gained an edge thanks to its superior offensive play. After knocking down 21 three-pointers in their last outing, the Rockets impressed with another 19 makes from deep in Tuesday's win. For the second straight game, too, both James Harden and Chris Paul tallied double digits in the assist column. Everything seemed to be going right for the Rockets, making it difficult for the Hawks to keep up despite their 15 made three-pointers.
On top of his 10 assists, Harden scored a game-high 31 points. With that, Harden is the first player since Michael Jordan in 1987 to score 30 points against every team in a single season. It was just another notch in the belt of an already historic season for Harden, who is leading the league in scoring at 35.9 points per game.
The Rockets also saw 26 points and 11 rebounds from Clint Capela. Danuel House pitched in another 19 points in a true top-to-bottom effort for the surging team.
Budding star Trae Young led the way for Atlanta, scoring 21 points while dishing out 12 assists. It was Young's fourth straight game scoring 20 or more. John Collins added another 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Hawks.
Houston faces the second half of a back-to-back as it visits Memphis on Wednesday. The Hawks, meanwhile, will host the Utah Jazz on Thursday.
