Sheppard Shines as Rockets Finish Perfect Preseason with Win Over Hawks

The Houston Rockets closed out their preseason run with a dominant 133–115 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday night.

Rookie guard Reed Sheppard led the charge off the bench, pouring in 29 points on 12-of-22 shooting, while adding six rebounds, six assists and four steals in 26 minutes of action.

With much of the starting lineup resting, the Rockets’ second unit stepped up. Josh Okogie flashed aggressively, posting 28 points to complement Sheppard’s efforts. Isaiah Crawford chipped in with a strong all-around effort, contributing 20 points, nine boards and three assists.

On the other side, Atlanta leaned on Zaccharie Risacher, who scored 24 points, while Kristaps Porziņģis tallied 23 points and 13 rebounds.

Houston shot nearly 48% from the field and made 39.6% of their 3-point attempts, while forcing 21 turnovers.

The win gives Houston a perfect 4-0 preseason record heading into the regular season.

Sheppard, a second-year guard, reflected afterward on the influence of veteran Kevin Durant, who did not play in this game. “Seeing how hard he works every day, game speed in training — for me, that’s been big,” Sheppard said.

Houston now turns its attention to its regular season opener next week.