Former Rocket lights it up in first game back
Dwight Howard repeatedly insisted this had nothing to do with revenge.
Howard scored 24 points and grabbed 23 rebounds in his first game in Houston since signing with Atlanta in the offseason, leading the Hawks to a 113-108 victory over the Rockets on Thursday night.
“I didn’t really think about it like that,” Howard said. “It wasn’t like, ‘Aww, we’ve got to beat Houston because it’s my first time back.’ I just knew we needed the win.”
Howard, who spent the last three seasons in Houston, received a mostly warm welcome at Toyota Center.
“I appreciated my time here. I chose this city in free agency, and I chose it for a reason,” he said.
“I think Houston is a great place, but with the business of basketball, I felt like coming home would be great for my career.”
Howard dominated the game early, winning the tip against Capela and scoring eight points in the first four minutes. He had a doubledouble before halftime.
The Hawks trailed by as many as 20 points and entered the fourth quarter down 13 before Howard led a late comeback.
Tim Hardaway Jr. had a career-high 33 points for Atlanta, including a driving dunk with less than a minute remaining that gave the Hawks a three-point lead.
Hardaway scored 23 points in the fourth quarter, going 8 for 11 from the field, 3 for 5 from the 3-point line and 4 for 5 from the foul line.
Howard said Hardaway gets a scary look on his face when he’s angry enough to take over a game, and he saw that look in the fourth quarter
Teammates teased Hardaway in the postgame locker