Jan. 29, 2026, 10:56 p.m. CT

One night after losing at home to San Antonio, the Houston Rockets rebounded with Thursday’s 104-86 victory (box score) at Atlanta.

The Rockets (29-17) remain at No. 4 in the Western Conference standings, while the Hawks (24-26) are No. 9 in the East.

For Houston, the big story was veteran star Kevin Durant. In 34 minutes, the All-Star forward finished with a game-high 31 points on 12-of-22 shooting (54.5%), including 3-of-8 from 3-point range (37.5%).

“We fought through the mud a little bit in the first half,” Durant said postgame. With its future Hall of Famer leading the way, Houston is 3-0 on the second night of back-to-backs in January after going 0-3 in that situation in December.

Other key statistics included:

Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!Jabari Smith Jr.: 14 points, 8 rebounds, 5 blocks, 3 steals; 5-of-12 shooting (41.7%), 2-of-6 on 3-pointers (33.3%)Reed Sheppard: 13 points, 4 assists; 3-of-7 on 3-pointers (42.9%)Josh Okogie: 10 points, 10 rebounds; 3-of-5 on 3-pointers (60.0%)Alperen Sengun: 9 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks; 3-of-14 shooting (21.4%)Clint Capela: 10 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 assists; 4-of-4 shooting, +17 in 18 minutesCJ McCollum (Hawks): 23 points, 5 rebounds; 9-of-19 shooting (47.4%), 5-of-11 on 3-pointers (45.5%)

“Next man up mentality,” said Capela, who is now Houston’s primary backup at center after Steven Adams’ season-ending ankle surgery.

Both teams were finishing out a back-to-back, so each had a handful of absences for maintenance purposes. The Rockets were without Tari Eason and Dorian Finney-Smith, while the Hawks were missing Jalen Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu. All four played a night earlier.

Next up for the Rockets is a spotlight game versus another in-state rival, as Dallas (19-29) visits Houston on Saturday night.

Tipoff of Rockets-Mavericks is at 7:30 p.m. Central from Toyota Center, and the game will be televised to a national audience on ABC.

More: In costly loss, Rockets struggle with Spurs’ second-half adjustments