Reaction: Eric Gordon, DJ Augustin lead Rockets’ stunning comeback in Atlanta

The Houston Rockets trailed for nearly all of Monday’s game at Atlanta, were down by 13 points after three quarters, and absorbed an absolute onslaught from All-Star guard Trae Young (41 points, 9 assists).

But thanks to unexpected showings deep off the bench and a strong veteran backcourt duo of Eric Gordon and DJ Augustin, the Rockets outgunned the Hawks in the fourth quarter by an incredible 44-25 margin, leading to a stunning 132-126 win (box score) on the road.

For the young and scrappy Rockets (9-18), it represents their eight win in the team’s last 10 games. For the Hawks (13-14), who made the Eastern Conference finals last season, it’s only their fifth loss in 14 games.

Gordon led the way with a season-high 32 points in 32 minutes, including 5-of-8 on 3-pointers (62.5%). Meanwhile, Augustin added 22 in 23 minutes as a reserve, shooting 6-of-7 (85.7%) on 3-pointers. Houston was +21 in its minutes with Augustin, and -15 in all other minutes. Christian Wood was oddly cold with 12 points on 4-of-13 from the field (30.8% FG) and 0-of-6 on 3-pointers, and head coach Stephen Silas made an unusual call not to play his star big man at all in the fourth quarter.

It was the right call, with reserves like KJ Martin (13 points, 6 rebounds in 27 minutes), Alperen Sengun (11 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists in 25 minutes), and even David Nwaba (10 points, 6 rebounds in 11 minutes) — who has been out of the rotation for weeks — playing key roles late in the game. Jae’Sean Tate added 15 points (3-of-4 on 3-pointers) and 4 assists, giving Houston seven double-figure scorers in a balanced effort.

“Tonight, I just had a gut feeling to roll with the group that brought the energy and was really playing well,” Silas said postgame.

Houston will finish up their three-game road trip with Wednesday’s game at Cleveland, where tipoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. CST. Until then, see below for highlights and more postgame reaction from Atlanta.

Highlights

Stephen Silas

Key postgame quotes after Monday’s game:

What a team win. This is something we can learn from and build on.

Tonight, I just had a gut feeling to roll with the group that brought the energy and was really playing well.

The guys in the locker room are all happy for each other. That kind of camaraderie, that kind of spirit, that kind of play hard, is something that we can look back on and be like ‘yeah, we went and got that game.’

Eric (Gordon) has been so good in this stretch. The big shots that he makes, the deep threes, he spaces the floor. He has that veteran leadership. That ‘I’ve been here before’ that we need as a group.

Eric Gordon

Key postgame quotes:

When we had that (seven-game) winning streak, guys saw the formula of what it takes to win.

I want to win the game. That’s what matters. I wouldn’t have this great feeling if I scored this many points and didn’t win. Like I said, winning is the most important thing.

David Nwaba

Key postgame quotes:

That’s the whole part of being a professional. You just always have to stay ready. I have my teammates in my ear telling me to stay ready. And that’s what I did.

DJ Augustin

Key postgame quotes:

We’re a team that’s not going to lay down. No matter who we play, no matter who we have out, we are going to come in with five or 10 guys that’s going to play hard until the very end, fight, and try to get a win. …

Just stay with it. It’s a long game. Like four minutes in a game is an eternity. I just tell my teammates, ‘just stick with it, this could turn around.’ When we were down big, ‘Let’s go, y’all. Keep fighting. Let’s chip away.’

That’s what the NBA is about. Teams make runs. It’s going to happen. Just stay within yourself and anything can happen.