October 25, 2026 at 5:04 AM UTC

Postgame Report

Rockets Hand Hawks First Loss, 121-114, Behind Balance and Thompson's Heavy Night

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On the second night of a back-to-back for both teams, Houston beat unbeaten Atlanta 121-114 on Saturday. Amen Thompson and Alperen Sengun both posted double-doubles.

ATLANTA – Early in the season, a Saturday night in October seldom settles much. Still, the Houston Rockets left State Farm Arena on Oct. 24 with a 121-114 win that took the shine off Atlanta's start. The Hawks had arrived 2-0 and looking to go 3-0. They left 2-1, even though Jalen Johnson played well enough to win most nights.

The Hawks' opening wins included a 47-point rout of Charlotte, and that run had pushed some attention away from Houston's side of the league, where San Antonio and Oklahoma City get most of the talk. The Rockets arrived as the toughest opponent Atlanta had faced. They are known for stingy defense and a deep roster, and both showed up. Kevin Durant scored 22 points. Reed Sheppard added 19 with seven assists. Tari Eason matched his 19 points in 31 minutes off the bench, and Bogdanovic chipped in 11 more.

Thompson did the grinding. He played a game-high 39 minutes and finished with 17 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, a double-double. Alperen Sengun had one too, with 17 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Jabari Smith Jr. added 14 points. Both teams were playing the first back-to-back of their seasons, and Houston's spread of scoring helped it through a game that could have turned on tired legs.

Johnson did what he could for Atlanta, with 26 points, nine rebounds and 16 assists, a double-double that went unrewarded. Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Dyson Daniels each scored 18, Daniels adding eight rebounds, and CJ McCollum and Aaron Wiggins finished with 17 and 16. It was a solid effort from the Hawks' top group, but they could not close the seven-point gap against a team that gave up very little in the end. Atlanta now has a clear measure of how far it has to go.

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