Rockets’ big night
Houston got a home win with Jabari Smith Jr. pouring in 23 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals and hitting 3 threes — Alperen Şengün flirted with a triple‑double (15 pts, 9 reb, 10 ast) and Kevin Durant nudged closer to passing Michael Jordan for 5th on the all‑time scoring list. (x.com) (youtube.com)
The Rockets closed out the game at Toyota Center on March 20, 2026 with a 117-95 victory over the Atlanta Hawks, snapping Atlanta’s 11-game win streak. (nba.com) Kevin Durant paced Houston with 25 points and six assists in 30 minutes, hitting 9-of-15 from the field and 3-of-5 from three-point range. (espn.com) Houston’s offense heated up in the third quarter — the team shot 51% for the game and made 14 of 30 threes, while Atlanta finished 42% overall and just 9-of-35 from deep. (nba.com) The win moved the Rockets to 42-27 in the standings while the Hawks dropped to 38-32, and Houston had been 4-6 over its previous 10 games entering Friday’s matchup. (espn.com) Coach Ime Udoka opened the game with a tweaked lineup that put second‑year guard Reed Sheppard in the starting five; Sheppard scored 14 points, hit four 3s and handed out four assists in the victory. (thefan1075.com) Before Friday’s game Durant had 32,206 career points — 86 shy of Michael Jordan’s 32,292 — and his 25-point night cut that gap by 25 points to roughly a 61-point deficit. (si.com) Attendance at Toyota Center was reported at 18,055 for the Rockets’ home win. (basketball.realgm.com)
