Houston Is 3-0 and Atlanta Comes to Toyota Center for a…

By the Rockets Nightly Desk · Sunday, October 25

The Rockets are 3-0 and first in the West after beating Atlanta 121-114 on Oct. 24. Three rotation players are listed out, each with an estimated return of Oct. 26, the night the Hawks visit.

Rockets Nightly artwork — Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

Last season

Houston went 52-30 with a 5.4 net rating, built on an offense rated 117.5 and a defense rated 112.1. The Lakers ended the year in the first round, though Houston forced a Game 6 after trailing 3-0. Atlanta went 46-36 with a 2.2 net rating, so the Oct. 26 visitor is a smaller margin away, but a real one.

Oct. 21-23

The streak began with a 128-110 win over Dallas at home on Oct. 21. Two road games followed. At San Antonio on Oct. 23, Houston won 114-110, with Alperen Sengun scoring 29 and Amen Thompson adding 20 points and 10 rebounds. The Spurs game was decided by four, a thinner cushion than the record suggests.

Oct. 24

In Atlanta the Rockets built a 20-point lead and won 121-114. Kevin Durant scored 22 on 8-of-15 shooting, and Reed Sheppard hit five of 11 threes for a plus-19. Atlanta closed on a 9-0 run, cutting 117-103 to 117-112 with 36 seconds left, before Tari Eason's dunk made it 121-112.

Today

There is no game, and the injury list is the story. Marcus Smart (left forearm), Steven Adams (left ankle) and Fred VanVleet (right knee) are all out, each with an estimated return of Oct. 26. In Atlanta the starters scored 89 of 121 points and the bench 32. That split is the number to watch if all three are still sidelined.

Oct. 26

Houston hosts Atlanta again. Jalen Johnson had 26 points and 16 assists in the first meeting, and the Hawks scored 33 in each of the last two quarters. The power rankings dropped Houston from 6th to 9th in a week despite the record. A second win over a 2-1 team would answer whether a thinner rotation can hold.

Next The Hawks visit on Oct. 26, then Houston plays at Milwaukee on Oct. 28 and at Dallas on Oct. 30 in the Emirates NBA Cup.

When do the Rockets play the Hawks again?

Houston hosts Atlanta on Oct. 26, two days after winning 121-114 in Atlanta.

Who is injured for the Rockets right now?

Steven Adams (left ankle), Fred VanVleet (right knee) and Marcus Smart (left forearm) are all listed out, each with an estimated return of Oct. 26.

By the Rockets Nightly Desk, written from the club's data and the reports on file, with every name and number checked against them. How the desks work.