Atlanta Hawks vs Houston Rockets Box Score on Dec 20, 2023

Trae Young finished with at least 30 points and 10 assists for the fifth straight game, but the late-game production of reserves Bogdan Bogdanovic and Onyeka Okongwu carried the visiting Atlanta Hawks past the Houston Rockets 134-127 on Wednesday.

The Rockets rallied from 20 points down late in the first half to lead 90-89 on a three-point play from Fred VanVleet with 4:12 left in the third quarter.

Houston extended that margin to five points before Bogdanovic steered the Hawks back in front, only for Jabari Smith Jr., who scored a career-high 34 points, to bury a 3-pointer that gave Houston a 100-98 lead entering the fourth.

But then the reserves took over, with Garrison Matthews drilling a 3-pointer and Okongwu producing three consecutive dunks, with Young and Bogdanovic combining for all three assists. When Bogdanovic connected on consecutive jumpers, the Hawks led 127-109 with six minutes left.

The Rockets responded with a 14-0 run, but Young muted that rally with a floater before assisting on a 3-pointer by Saddiq Bey with 35.4 seconds left.

Young added another floater off the glass and finished with 30 points and 14 assists. Bogdanovic tallied 22 points, Okongwu paired 19 points with 11 rebounds, and Dejounte Murray added 21 points for the Hawks, who shot 51.6 percent from the floor.

VanVleet posted 32 points and 15 assists, while Smith grabbed 13 rebounds and finished 14 of 14 at the free-throw line. The Rockets had their 11-game homecourt winning streak snapped.

The Hawks' scorching perimeter shooting laid the foundation for their 20-point lead. Atlanta hit 8 of 16 treys in its 39-point first period, with Murray tallying 14 points on only five shots. The Hawks didn't relent in the second, surging to a 71-51 advantage on a pullup by Murray at the 2:42 mark.

Houston needed a late rally led by VanVleet just to cut the deficit to 12 points at the intermission. He and Smith combined for 34 points on 14 shot attempts and 13-of-13 shooting at the line, but Young and Murray totaled 32 points as Atlanta drilled 13 of 26 of their 3-point attempts in the first half.

--Field Level Media