Rockets at Hawks
The Houston Rockets are no longer just the James Harden show and are rounding into a team that can contend for the Western Conference title. Harden and the Rockets will try to earn their 12th win in the last 13 games and inch closer to clinching a playoff spot when they begin a two-game road trip by visiting the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday.
Harden's 32-game streak of scoring 30 or more points came to an end on Feb. 25 and Houston is 10-1 since that contest, including a 117-102 drubbing of the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday. Harden collected 20 points and 10 assists in the win as one of three starters to record 20-point double-doubles along with point guard Chris Paul (25 points, 10 assists) and center Clint Capela (20 points, 13 rebounds). The Hawks are on the verge of being mathematically eliminated from postseason contention and are struggling to play spoiler with losses in five of the last seven games - all against potential postseason teams. The Orlando Magic are making a run at the No. 8 spot in the East and improved their chances by brushing aside Atlanta 101-91 on Sunday, ending a two-game trip for the Hawks that started with a 129-120 loss at the Boston Celtics on Saturday.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet Southwest (Houston), FS Southeast (Atlanta)
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (44-26): Houston buried 21 3-pointers in Sunday's win, with Paul tying a career high for made 3-pointers at 6-of-7 from beyond the arc. Small forward Danuel House Jr., who was recalled from the G League last week and scored 18 points while starting in place of a resting Paul on Friday, knocked down a pair of 3-pointers against the Timberwolves and was 5-of-6 from the floor en route to 14 points in 28 minutes off the bench. "I'm just trying to play my role," House told reporters. "Do whatever the team needs in order to help bring success."
ABOUT THE HAWKS (24-47): Atlanta is building around power forward John Collins and rookie point guard Trae Young and struggles if both aren't dominating their positions. Young scored 20 points in Sunday's loss but went 0-of-5 from 3-point range while Collins battled foul trouble throughout and was held to 10 points in 20 minutes before fouling out. Rookie shooting guard Kevin Huerter shows flashes of joining Collins and Young as cornerstones of the rebuilding effort but struggles with his consistency and is 5-of-20 from the floor over the last two contests after going 17-of-28 in the previous two games.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Hawks C Dewayne Dedmon averaged 13.5 rebounds in the last two games.
2. Capela is shooting 68 percent from the floor during a streak of five straight double-doubles.
3. Houston skipped past Atlanta 119-111 at home on Feb. 25 despite Young's 36 points and eight 3-pointers.