James Harden had 31 points and 10 assists, and the Houston Rockets went on a 22-6 run in the third quarter to beat the Atlanta Hawks 121-105.
The Hawks had gone on a 19-6 run to lead 61-59 when P.J. Tucker’s corner 3-pointer put the Rockets ahead for good with 6:59 left in the third quarter. Harden scored 8 points and Tucker made 2 3-pointers as they pulled away to an 81-67 lead with 2:46 left in the quarter, and they led by as many as 20 in the fourth quarter.
Clint Capela had 26 points (22 in the paint) and 11 rebounds on 11 for 13 shooting. Harden assisted on 6 of Capela’s 11 baskets, 2 of them in the fourth quarter.
For the Hawks, Trae Young had 21 points and 12 assists, and John Collins added 20 points (18 in the paint) and 10 rebounds.
The Rockets shot 51.3% from the field and 40.4% from 3 to the Hawks’ 46.4% and 37.5%.