Rockets 123, Hawks 104: James Harden scored 11 of his 28 points during the third quarter as Houston defeated visiting Atlanta for the fifth consecutive time.

Carlos Delfino returned with a flourish after missing two games because of food poisoning. He drilled six 3-pointers en route to a season-high 22 points and Omer Asik collected 11 points and 17 rebounds for the Rockets, who posted their sixth win in eight outings.

Louis Williams scored 15 of his 21 points in the third quarter and Al Horford recorded 18 points and 13 rebounds for the Hawks, who saw their four-game winning streak come to an end.

With Atlanta nursing a 31-30 lead, Houston answered by scoring the first 16 points of a 28-6 run - highlighted by a pair of 3-pointers from both Delfino and Patrick Patterson. The Rockets closed the spirited 38-point second quarter on a high as Harden drilled a 3-pointer at the buzzer to push the advantage to 18 at 64-46.

John Jenkins drilled a 3-pointer for his ninth points of the fourth quarter as Atlanta pulled to within five at 102-97. Delfino quickly answered with a 3-pointer of his own and a layup to extend Houston's advantage to double digits.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Atlanta's Josh Smith showed no ill effects of a hip flexor injury. He finished with 17 points. ... Hawks G Jeff Teague missed his first eight shots from the field before connecting from 3-point range to pull the Hawks within 13 at 68-55. ... Both teams were electric from 3-point range. Houston made 16 of 19 shots and Atlanta went 12-for-23 from beyond the arc.