National Basketball Association
Houston 118, Atlanta 99
When: 8:00 PM ET, Sunday, March 25, 2018
Where: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Officials: #50 Gediminas Petraitis, #10 Ron Garretson, #52 Scott Twardoski
Attendance: 18055
James Harden posted his fourth triple-double of the season, and the Houston Rockets parlayed torrid 3-point shooting into a 118-99 win over the visiting Atlanta Hawks on Sunday at Toyota Center.

Houston led by as many as 26 points in its wire-to-wire victory, extending its winning streak to nine games. The Rockets converted 14 of 28 3-point attempts in the first half to build their advantage, sweep the season series from Atlanta, and extend their home-court winning streak to 16 games.

Harden struggled with his shot, making 6 of 15 attempts while missing 6 of 7 3-point tries. However, he tallied 18 points, 10 rebounds and 15 assists to help steer the Rockets, who were without Chris Paul (hamstring) for a third consecutive game. Paul could return on Tuesday against the Chicago Bulls.

Taurean Prince and Isaiah Taylor combined to shoot 21 of 35 while scoring 28 and 26 points respectively for the Hawks, who were without Dennis Schroder. Atlanta has dropped 9 of 10.

Gerald Green scored 25 points off the Houston bench, drilling 5 of 10 3-point attempts. Eric Gordon, Trevor Ariza and P.J. Tucker sank four treys apiece, with Gordon posting 22 points, Ariza 14, all in the first period, and Tucker 12. Houston went 20 of 52 from behind the arc overall. Atlanta, meanwhile, shot 11 of 40 from 3-point range.

Harden shot 1 of 6 prior to the intermission but recorded a dozen assists over 18 minutes. He picked apart the Hawks' pick-and-roll defense, drawing two defenders before finding teammates wide open from behind the arc. Ariza was the early beneficiary, drilling 4 of 5 3-point attempts in the opening period as the Rockets raced to a 33-20 advantage entering the second quarter.

When Green and Tucker combined for three 3-pointers to open the second period, the Rockets extended to a 21-point lead. Houston hit a stretch where all six of its field goals during a two-plus minute stretch came from deep, with Clint Capela snapping that run with a ferocious dunk off a nifty pick-and-roll pass from Harden.

Tucker added two more 3-pointers around a second-chance basket from Capela, and the Rockets led 65-39 with 2:08 left in the first half.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Atlanta   Houston
Taurean Prince 28 Scoring Gerald Green 25
Josh Magette 5 Assists James Harden 15
John Collins 10 Rebounds James Harden 10
Taurean Prince 3 Free Throws Made James Harden 5
Taurean Prince 2 Steals Clint Capela 2
John Collins 1 Blocks Clint Capela 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Atlanta 99 44.3 11-40 10-11 18 45 2 5 13
Houston 118 48.9 20-52 10-11 28 45 4 7 12
Upcoming Games
  • Houston will play their next game at home against Chicago. The Rockets have a W/L % of .864 after a win and .600 after a loss.
  • Atlanta will play their next game on the road against Minnesota. The Hawks have a W/L % of .143 after a win and .340 after a loss.