The Atlanta Hawks (21 - 13) prevailed over the Houston Rockets (17 - 16) in a wild back - and - forth affair, 121 - 115 on Tuesday. The game provided plenty of fireworks with several outstanding individual stat lines, but the best individual matchup of the night was between the big men. Dwight Howard and Al Horford seemed to bring out each other's best and virtually matched one another point for point and rebound and rebound. Howard finished with a season - high 30 points and added 16 rebounds, while Horford equaled him with a season - high 30 points and 14 rebounds. Due to the game remaining close throughout, both players also received a higher allotment of minutes than usual. The standoff between them also extended to the final statistics down low for both clubs, as they battled to a draw near the basket; Atlanta slightly outscored Houston in the paint, 50 - 46, while the Rockets nipped them in the rebounding department, 46 - 45. Besides Horford's outstanding effort, the Hawks also got a trio of 20 - point - plus efforts from some of their most dependable starters. Kent Bazemore, already a solid contributor in rebounds and assists, turned his scoring up several notches, collecting 26 points on the night along with four assists and three rebounds. Stalwarts Jeff Teague and Paul Millsap contributed a pair of 22 - point tallies, with the latter making it a double - double by hauling in 13 boards as well. The veteran power forward also added a season - high five blocks as he dominated a Houston defense that has been one of the league's weakest against opposing fours. The Hawks improved to 21 - 13 and remain atop the Eastern Conference's Southeast Division. They will now enjoy an extended break over the New Year's holiday and return to action in New York on Sunday. In addition to Howard's mammoth double - double, Jame Harden pitched in with one of his own, pouring in 26 points, while also impressively grabbing a season - high 10 boards and dishing out eight assists. Clint Capela was the third Rockets starter to accomplish the feat, posting 17 points and 10 rebounds. Trevor Ariza (10 points) and Patrick Beverley (nine points) rounded out the starting five's contributions with modest outputs, while Ty Lawson continued his recent stretch of improved play by pacing the Houston bench with 14 points, four assists, a rebound and a steal. The Rockets fell to 16 - 17 and remain in fourth place in the Western Conference's Southwest Division. They await the Golden State Warriors for a New Year's Eve matchup at home.
["TeamStat(G,'Rockets') has 17 Losses ,has 115 Total points ,has 46 Rebounds ,has 16 Wins ."
 "TeamStat(G,'Hawks') has 13 Losses ,has 121 Total points ,has 45 Rebounds ,has 21 Wins ."]