Field Level Media
Mar 16, 2021
Danilo Gallinari scored a team-high 29 points, and he and Atlanta teammate Tony Snell each hit five 3-pointers to lead the visiting Hawks to a 119-107 win over the Houston Rockets on Tuesday.
The Rockets matched a franchise record with their 17th consecutive loss.
Gallinari finished 5 of 8 from behind the arc while Snell went 5 of 7 en route to 15 points. Kevin Huerter added three 3-pointers and scored 16 points while John Collins (20 points, 10 rebounds) and Trae Young (13 points, 14 assists) recorded double-doubles for the Hawks.
Rookie Nathan Knight added 15 points for Atlanta, which extended its season-best win streak to six games and improved to 6-0 under interim coach Nate McMillan.
Victor Oladipo scored 34 points, Kevin Porter Jr. paired 22 points with eight assists and rookie Jae'Sean Tate tallied a career-high 25 points plus six rebounds and six assists for Houston.
Exceptional 3-point shooting helped the Hawks stave off Houston in the second half. Atlanta made 20 of 27 shots inside the arc prior to halftime but relied on timely treys after the break.
The Rockets used a 14-3 closing surge in the third quarter to cut what was a 23-point deficit to 93-92 entering the fourth. Mason Jones scored nine points for Houston during that frantic push, but a 3-pointer from Bogdan Bogdanovic allowed the Hawks to maintain their slim advantage.
When the Rockets finally pulled even at 97-97 on a Porter layup with 9:25 remaining, Collins answered with a dunk off a Rajon Rondo feed. Huerter, Snell and Young drilled 3-pointers to subdue the Rockets once and for all, with Snell converting twice from behind the arc.
Following a 6-for-9 start from the floor, the Rockets suddenly went cold, a development that coincided with Gallinari catching fire. Atlanta closed the first quarter with a 14-3 run that featured 10 consecutive points from Gallinari, whose lone miss on five field-goal attempts in the period was a heave at the buzzer.
Houston, meanwhile, went 3 of 11 down the stretch of the first quarter and tumbled into a 23-point hole when the Hawks opened the second period on a 13-3 burst that included Gallinari tacking on five additional points.
Atlanta appeared set for an easy victory, but the Rockets doggedly clawed to within 73-58 at the break. Oladipo and Porter combined for 39 first-half points, but that tandem couldn't offset five Hawks scoring in double figures. Gallinari put up 20 prior to the intermission while Young posted 10 points and 10 assists.
--Field Level Media