Atlanta led 66-63 at the half in Houston and lost 120-110, scoring 44 points after the break while Alperen Sengun finished with 29 points and 6 steals. The Hawks are 2-2 and seventh, a half game behind Cleveland, with winless Miami coming to State Farm Arena on Wednesday.
How the Coin Flip Turned
For a half this was as even as it gets: 35-32 after one, 66-63 at the break, and 20 lead changes and 9 ties by the end. The third quarter broke it. Atlanta scored 19 to Houston's 28, and a 9-0 Rockets run from 76-75 to 76-84 forced a Quin Snyder timeout. Locked On Hawks' Brad Rowland counted 8-for-33 from deep through three quarters and an 0-for-10 start to the second half beyond the arc. It was still 95-93 Houston with 9:03 left. Then the Rockets outscored Atlanta 22-2 to reach 117-95, their 22-point peak. An 8-0 Hawks answer to 103-117 came far too late, and Snyder finished with Asa Newell, Corey Kispert, Dorian Finney-Smith, Kingston Flemings and Zuby Ejiofor. Kispert's three with 17 seconds left made the final 110-120.
Grades for the Starters
Jalen Johnson, B-minus: 21 points, 9 boards and 10-of-12 at the line, but 5-of-14 shooting, 1-of-5 from deep, 4 turnovers and a -9. CJ McCollum, B: 20 points on 8-of-16, 4-of-7 from three, 4 steals and one turnover. He gave Atlanta the only reliable shooting it had. Onyeka Okongwu, B: 11 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals, a block and a zero in 29 minutes, the best mark on the team. Dyson Daniels was next at -1 in 28, and the rookie Flemings held up at -5 in 19.
The Bench Bill, Then Miami
The reserves lost the game. Jock Landale was -17 in 18 minutes and Luguentz Dort -17 in 21, with Aaron Wiggins at -12 in 27. Dort, C-minus: 4-of-11 and 0-for-5 from three, though Rowland credited him with a personal 7-0 run that kept it at 91-85 after three. Starters outscored the bench 68-37. Two straight losses to Houston dropped Atlanta from third to seventh. The Hawks sit level with Orlando in tenth and one game clear of eleventh. Miami arrives 0-4, and ESPN framed the visit around the Heat ending a four-game skid. Cleveland follows the next night, then road games at New Orleans, Indiana and Washington.
Why did the Hawks lose to the Rockets on October 26?
Atlanta scored 19 points in the third quarter and then let a 95-93 game become 117-95. The bench unit was outscored badly, with Landale and Dort each at -17.
Who led the Hawks in scoring against Houston?
Jalen Johnson led Atlanta with 21 points, and CJ McCollum added 20 on 4-of-7 shooting from three.
