When the Hawks raced out to a 16-point lead midway through Friday’s third quarter at Toyota Center, the flurry was punctuated by back-to-back 3-pointers by Atlanta’s pair of All-Star guards, Dejounte Murray and Trae Young. Both featured demonstrative celebrations in the aftermath, including Murray tapping Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. on top of the rookie’s head after a closeout attempt.
Shortly after, a skirmish broke out involving Murray, Young, Smith, and Jalen Green, with technical fouls issued to both teams. What was more impactful, however, is how the Rockets channeled the frustration into a change of momentum — with Houston outscoring Atlanta for the rest of the game, 54-32, to rally to a critical win.
