Rockets Beat Hawks 120-110 to Stay Perfect at 4-0 as Sengun Scores 29

The Houston Rockets beat the Atlanta Hawks 120-110 at Toyota Center in Houston on Monday night. Alperen Sengun scored a game high 29 points for Houston, which stayed perfect at 4-0 while Atlanta lost to the Rockets for the second time in three days.

Atlanta started better. The Hawks won the first quarter 35-32, and the second quarter finished level at 31 points each, which left Atlanta ahead 66-63 at halftime. Houston turned the game around after the break. The Rockets won the third quarter 28-19 and the fourth 29-25, outscoring Atlanta 57-44 across the second half. Atlanta still cut the lead to 95-93 in the fourth quarter. Reed Sheppard then hit a 3-pointer, Jabari Smith Jr. followed with a three point play, and Houston pulled away with a 20-2 rally that lifted the lead to 115-95 before the game closed at 120-110.

Sengun fills every column of the box score

Sengun scored his 29 points on 11-of-15 shooting from the field. He added 9 rebounds, 9 assists and 6 steals, a line that touched every part of the game.

He was central to a 14-2 Houston run in the third quarter, the stretch that first turned the game. His transition dunk in the fourth quarter then fueled the 20-2 rally that settled it, taking Houston from a two point game at 95-93 to a 20 point lead at 115-95.

Kevin Durant added 22 points and 9 rebounds for Houston. Jabari Smith Jr. paired 16 points with 12 rebounds. Amen Thompson paired 15 points with 5 rebounds, and Tari Eason and Reed Sheppard scored 13 points apiece off the bench. Houston shot 53.1 percent from the floor as a team and scored 26 points in transition.

Atlanta leads early, and Johnson leads its scoring

Jalen Johnson paced Atlanta with 21 points and 9 rebounds. CJ McCollum added 20 points and made four 3-pointers. Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 12 points for the Hawks.

Atlanta's problem was the second half. After leading 66-63 at halftime on the road, the Hawks gave up 57 points in the second half and lost the third quarter by nine, which handed Houston the control it kept, apart from the brief cut to 95-93 in the fourth.

Best Houston start since 2014-15, and both teams play Wednesday

Houston's 4-0 record is its best start since the 2014-15 season, and it is tied for the best record in the NBA. The loss was Atlanta's second straight defeat against Houston, after the Rockets won 121-114 in Atlanta on Saturday, October 24.

Both teams play again on Wednesday, October 28. Houston visits the Milwaukee Bucks, and Atlanta hosts the Miami Heat.