And then there were two.
The Hawks fell from the ranks of Eastern Conference teams with a better than .500 record with a 113-84 loss to the Rockets Wednesday night at the Toyota Center. The Pacers and Heat remain at the top of the conference.
The Hawks (8-8, 4-5 road) will search for something to be thankful for as the head to a Thanksgiving Day off on a three-game losing streak. They have lost six straight to the Rockets, including four in Houston.
The Rockets (11-5, 7-3 home) led by as many as 29 points in a game they never trailed. They have won three straight and six of their past seven games.
The Hawks trailed by double-digits in every quarter. They managed to cut their deficit to single digits in each of the first three quarters. In the fourth quarter, the Rockets would not let up.
Paul Millsap finished with 16 points as he fought foul trouble much of the game. Al Horford and Cartier Martin had 14 points. Jeff Teague was limited to four points.
Aaron Brooks (21 points) and Francisco Garcia (21) came off the bench to lead the Rockets, who had six double-figure scorers.
The Hawks played short-handed without three guards as Kyle Korver (rib contusion), Lou Williams (right knee rehabilitation) and Shelvin Mack (left ankle sprain) all remained in Atlanta.
The Rockets were short-hand themselves. James Harden (sore left foot) did not play. Jeremy Lin was lost in the first quarter with a right knee bruise.
The Hawks found themselves in an early hole and trailed 56-45 at the half. The Rockets jumped out to a 12-point first-quarter lead. They shot 63 percent (12 of 19) in the opening quarter. They Hawks managed just 35 percent (7 of 20) shooting. At one point the Hawks had nine points and six personal fouls.
The fouls were an issue early. Martin, subbing for Korver, picked up two fouls in the first 36 seconds. Millsap also had two first-quarter fouls.
The Rockets pushed their lead to 14 points early in the second quarter. The Hawks responded with a 17-6 run to cut their deficit to three points, 41-38. Martin hit three 3-pointers during the run. The Rockets bounced back with a 13-5 run to end the second quarter, including 10 straight points.
In the third quarter, the Rockets led by 15 points before the Hawks used a 13-3 run to pull to within five points, 63-58. The Rockets again answered and led by 10 going into the final quarter.
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