Alperen Sengun scored a game-high 29 points, Jabari Smith Jr. added a double-double, and the Houston Rockets remained unbeaten by beating the visiting Atlanta Hawks 120-110 on Monday.
Sengun added nine rebounds and nine assists to pace a balanced attack. He was instrumental during a 14-2 run that helped the Rockets establish a working margin in the third quarter, and his transition dunk in the fourth fueled a 20-2 rally that lifted the Rockets to a 115-95 lead.
Smith paired 16 points with 12 rebounds, while Kevin Durant added 22 points and nine boards. Tari Eason and Reed Sheppard scored 13 points apiece off the Houston bench.
Jalen Johnson paced the Hawks with 21 points and nine rebounds while CJ McCollum added 20 points and four 3-pointers. The Hawks dropped back-to-back games against the Rockets.
Luguentz Dort (11 points) and Nickell Alexander-Walker (12 points) teamed to pull the Hawks to within 95-93 in the fourth quarter before Sheppard drilled a 3-pointer and Smith followed with a three-point play after dunking through a foul. Smith assisted on the aforementioned Sengun dunk before Eason and Sheppard added 3-pointers that extended the lead to 20.
Eason grabbed eight rebounds. Amen Thompson paired 15 points with five rebounds as the Rockets shot 53.1% from the floor and scored 26 points in transition.
There were five lead changes and two ties in the third before the Rockets took control with their run.
The Hawks erased an early five-point deficit with 3-pointers from Onyeka Okongwu and Johnson, and seized a three-point lead that they carried through the end of the first quarter.
Sheppard sparked the Rockets in the second period with a nifty reverse layup through a foul and a steal that Durant converted into a free throw and a 44-41 lead. But McCollum helped the Hawks respond with a floater and a 3-pointer to tie the game at 46-46, and Atlanta reclaimed a 66-63 lead at the intermission after the Rockets missed 12 of 16 3-pointers in the opening half.
