Houston's shooting from deep built the cushion Atlanta spent the rest of the game chasing. An 8–0 second-quarter run stretched a three-point lead to 11, and the Rockets took that same margin into halftime. Kevin Durant scored a team-high 22 points, while Reed Sheppard and Tari Eason added 19 apiece and Alperen Sengun contributed 17 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Atlanta cut a 14-point deficit to five in the final minute, but Houston scored four of the last six points to secure the win despite being outscored in the paint and transition.
The biggest reason
3PT Shooting
HOU 40%vsATL 27%
Also mattered
+20%Free-throw shooting
+5Points off turnovers
+2Blocks
Game flow
When the lead changed
HOUATL
HOU's biggest lead was 20 points · ATL's was 7 points · 5 lead changes
Quarter-by-quarter momentum
Quarter winners and scoring margin
Q1
HOU30
ATL26
HOU won by 4
Q2Biggest margin
HOU29
ATL22
HOU won by 7
Q3
HOU33
ATL33
Quarter tied
Q4
HOU29
ATL33
ATL won by 4
Game turning points
Moments identified from the scoring timeline
Final lead changeQ1 · 48.7
Houston Rockets went ahead and did not trail again.
HOU 27–ATL 25
Momentum swings
Key runs
5 runs · 7+ unanswered points
Q1 · 11:24–10:28
Atlanta Hawks7–0run
HOU 0 – ATL 0→HOU 0 – ATL 7
Q1 · 10:01–9:18
Houston Rockets8–0run
HOU 0 – ATL 7→HOU 8 – ATL 7
Q2 · 6:54–5:42
Houston Rockets8–0run
HOU 41 – ATL 38→HOU 49 – ATL 38
Q4 · 10:32–8:49
Houston Rockets7–0run
HOU 98 – ATL 86→HOU 105 – ATL 86
Q4 · 2:23–36.5Largest run
Atlanta Hawks9–0run
HOU 117 – ATL 103→HOU 117 – ATL 112
Players who shaped the game
Player impact
From the box score
Houston Rockets
HOU
Leading scorerKevin Durant
22PTS4REB2AST0STL1BLK
Impact contributorAlperen Sengun
17PTS10REB7AST1STL0BLK
Impact contributorAmen Thompson
17PTS11REB6AST1STL0BLK
Atlanta Hawks
ATL
Leading scorerJalen Johnson
26PTS9REB16AST2STL0BLK
Impact contributorNickeil Alexander-Walker
18PTS5REB4AST3STL0BLK
Impact contributorDyson Daniels
18PTS8REB3AST1STL0BLK
Team performance
Biggest advantages and setbacks
What the winner did best—and what it overcame
Advantages
Free-throw shootingWinner edge
Houston Rockets had a 20 percentage points edge in free-throw shooting.
HOU 91%ATL 71%
Three-point shootingWinner edge
Houston Rockets had a 13 percentage points edge in three-point shooting.
HOU 40%ATL 27%
BlocksWinner edge
Houston Rockets had a 2 edge in blocks.
HOU 4ATL 2
Setbacks
AssistsOpponent edge
Houston Rockets trailed in assists by 8.
HOU 27ATL 35
StealsOpponent edge
Houston Rockets trailed in steals by 3.
HOU 6ATL 9
Points in the paintOpponent edge
Houston Rockets trailed in points in the paint by 12.
HOU 46ATL 58
The numbers behind the win
Evidence
4 signals
Three-point shooting
Houston created its clearest shooting advantage from beyond the arc even while Atlanta held major edges in paint and fast-break scoring.
HOU40%
ATL27%
Free-throw shooting
The Rockets converted their opportunities at the line at a substantially higher rate.
HOU91%
ATL71%
Points off turnovers
Houston generated more scoring from opponent mistakes despite committing two more turnovers overall.
HOU23
ATL18
Editorial turning point
8-0 run from 6:54 to 5:42 in the second quarter
Houston expanded a three-point lead to 11, and Atlanta never regained the lead afterward.
This game’s Winning DNA
How Houston Rockets got it done.
The winning formula behind this game.
Houston Rockets
3PT Shooting
50%
Superstar Performance
30%
Clutch Execution
20%
Editorial weights for this game — not fan-vote percentages or official NBA statistics.