The Rockets trailed by 16 points midway through Friday’s third quarter, but they flipped the script in a big way as Houston rallied to defeat the visiting Hawks, 128-122 (box score). With KJ Martin setting the tone, Atlanta was out-rebounded by an astonishing 68-35 margin.
Jalen Green led the Rockets with 30 points, 5 assists, and 5 rebounds on 10-of-17 shooting (58.3%), while Martin added 21 points on 10-of-13 shooting (76.9%) and a career-high 15 rebounds.
That helped the Rockets (4-14) survive an onslaught from the Hawks (11-8) and their talented All-Star backcourt of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray, who combined to score 83 points at Toyota Center on 27-of-52 shooting (52.9%) and 12-of-23 on 3-pointers (52.2%).
With Eric Gordon out for maintenance purposes on the front end of a back-to-back, Garrison Mathews stepped into a larger wing role and had his best game of the 2022-23 season to date, scoring 20 points in 23 minutes off the bench. He connected on 4-of-6 shots overall (66.7%), 3-of-5 on 3-pointers (60.0%), and 9-of-9 on free throws.
Rookie forward Jabari Smith Jr. had another strong game with 21 points and 9 rebounds on 5-of-11 shooting from 3-point range (45.5%), while Kevin Porter Jr. added 12 points and 10 assists.
Scroll on for highlights, analysis, and postgame interviews from Toyota Center. Houston’s four-game homestand concludes Saturday night versus Oklahoma City, with tipoff set for 7 p.m. Central.