Hawks end skid with win over Rockets
ATLANTA -- Guard Kent Bazemore, held scoreless one night earlier, bounced back to score a season-high 20 points and spark the Atlanta Hawks to a 112-97 win over the Houston Rockets on Saturday at Philips Arena.
The win broke Atlanta's two-game losing streak and extended its winning streak over Houston to six games. It was the most points scored by the Hawks this season.
Bazemore, who signed a four-year, $70 million contract in the offseason to remain with the Hawks, entered the game with a 27 percent shooting percentage. His previous high for the season had been 11 points and he didn't score on Friday in the game at Washington, going 0-for-7 from the floor.
That wasn't an issue against Houston. Bazemore was 7-for-12 from the field. He scored 10 points in the third quarter and his two 3-pointers helped the Hawks take a 12-point lead it never relinquished. He added four rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Bazemore was one of three players with 20 points for the Hawks (4-2), joining forward Paul Millsap and center Dwight Howard, who each had a double-double. Millsap had 23 points and 11 rebounds and Howard finished with 20 points and 14 rebounds, his fourth straight game with a double-double.
Houston (3-3) got another outstanding night from guard James Harden. He had 30 points, but only six in the second half, with 12 assists and nine rebounds. K.J. Daniels had 13 points and Ryan Anderson and Clint Capela each scored 12, with Capela grabbing 10 rebounds.
Atlanta took a 53-44 lead with 3:15 left in the half on a dunk by Howard, but the big center picked up his third personal foul the next trip down the court. Howard was whistled for a foul when trying to block a dunk from K.J. McDaniels and had to leave the game.
The Hawks led 65-54 with 3:19 left in the half when Millsap converted a three-point play. Millsap had 15 points in the half on 7-for-13 shooting.
But Atlanta could not slow Harden, who finished the first half with 24 points and nine assists. Harden had two field goals in the final 31 seconds, one of them a 3-pointer, to pull Houston to within 65-59 at halftime.
The Hawks stretched their lead to 23 points in the third quarter after Bazemore hit back-to-back 3-pointers to make it 89-77 with 4:06 left.
NOTES: Atlanta G Kyle Korver's second 3-pointer on Saturday was the 1,900th of his career. He is No. 8 on the all-time NBA list. ... Houston is the first team in NBA history to hit at least 15 3-point baskets in the first five games of a season. ... Houston G James Harden recorded at least 15 assists in three of the first five games, a feat matched only by Rajon Rondo (2010-11) since 1992-93. ... Atlanta F Mike Scott (sore left knee) and F Tiago Splitter (right hamstring strain) were both inactive. Houston's inactive players were G Patrick Beverly (left knee irritation) and C Chinanu Onuaku, who is on a D-League assignment. ... Atlanta's next game is Tuesday in Cleveland. Houston continues its stretch of five straight road games with a contest at Washington on Monday.