HOUSTON -- The Rockets wrapped up a brief two-game homestand at Toyota Center with Tuesday's 121-114 victory (box score) versus the Atlanta Hawks.
With the win, which was the 10th in 11 games for the Rockets, Houston (47-26) remains at No. 2 in the tightly packed Western Conference standings. Atlanta (35-37) is at No. 7 in the East and lost for just the third time in 10 outings.
Jalen Green led the way for the Rockets with an efficient 32 points and 11 rebounds on 14-of-24 shooting (58.3%). Other statistics of note included:
- Fred VanVleet: 21 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists; 5-of-14 shooting (35.7%), 3-of-8 on 3-pointers (37.5%)
- Jabari Smith Jr.: 17 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals; 5-of-12 shooting (41.7%), 3-of-9 on 3-pointers (33.3%)
- Alperen Sengun: 18 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists; 8-of-19 shooting (42.1%)
- Steven Adams: 7 points, 7 rebounds, 2-of-2 shooting, 3-of-4 on free throws (75.0%); game-high +19 in 25 minutes
- Trae Young (Hawks): 19 points, 12 assists, 5 turnovers; 7-of-17 shooting (41.2%), 3-of-7 on 3-pointers (42.9%)
Many of Adams' minutes came alongside Sengun in a double-big configuration, which head coach Ime Udoka has increasingly turned to in recent games.
"The rebounding has been really good," Udoka said postgame of the Sengun-Adams units. Featuring a zone defense, Udoka also credited the zone schemes utilized during those double-big minutes with helping take Young out of rhythm early in the game.
"Those two as a tandem is something we've seen (that) we like, and obviously we'll use going forward," Udoka said.
The Rockets shot 26-of-29 on free throws (89.7%), which helped them withstand a spirited Atlanta rally that saw the Hawks trim a 25-point deficit to as little as three late in the fourth quarter. It was in great contrast to Sunday, when Houston lost by five to Denver on a bad shooting night (64.7%, 22-of-34) from the free-throw line.
Amen Thompson, who recently returned from a six-game absence due to a left ankle sprain, was a late scratch after experiencing soreness in that ankle during pregame warmups. Tari Eason (10 points, 14 rebounds) replaced him in Houston's starting lineup.
March 25 Rockets-Hawks Complete Highlights
March 25 Postgame Reaction and Interviews
Ime Udoka said Amen Thompson was warming up and had some stiffness in his ankle/achilles area and that's why he was a scratch. He said the Rockets didn't want to push him to play if he wasn't confident in it.
— ClutchFans (@clutchfans) March 26, 2025
#Rockets beat Atlanta 121-114 to improve to 47-26
— Space City Home Network (@SpaceCityHN) March 26, 2025
Jabari Smith Jr 🏀17 PTS🏀5 REB🏀2 STL🏀@HoustonRockets I #Liftoffpic.twitter.com/it5kZmxN3c
With 6,009 career points, Jalen Green is the youngest player in Rockets history (23 years old) to crack 6,000 points
— Ben DuBose (@BenDuBose) March 26, 2025
What’s Next
Houston now heads out on a three-game Western Conference road trip, which starts Thursday at last-place Utah (16-56). Tipoff of Rockets-Jazz is at 8:00 p.m. Central.
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Rockets extend lead for No. 2 seed as Jalen Green erupts vs. Atlanta
