The Rockets were far from perfect Friday night.
"When we bust the bubble, we bust the bubble, don't we?" Houston coach Rudy Tomjanovich said after Atlanta routed the Rockets 133-111.Houston fell one victory shy of becoming the first NBA team to start a season with 16 consecutive wins.
"In 16 games, we are going to have a night like this," Tomjanovich said. "I'm not making any excuses. We played a real good team and they kicked our butts in all phases of the game."
Mookie Blaylock scored 28 points and Dominique Wilkins added 27 for the Hawks, who have won 10 straight. Atlanta steadily pulled away after Stacey Augmon broke a 9-9 tie on a short lane jumper just over three minutes in.
The Rockets appeared tired, playing one night after they beat the New York Knicks 94-85 to tie the mark of for victories at the start of a season, set 45 years ago by the Washington Capitols. The Capitols also lost badly in game No. 16 - 94-78 to the Indianapolis Jets.
In becoming the first team to beat the Rockets, the Hawks also stated their case as a team to be reckoned with, becoming the first to score 100 points against Houston this season.
"Houston is such a good team that what we wanted to do was come out and jump on them right away," Hawks coach Lenny Wilkens said. "You don't want to let a team like that get life because they have a lot of weapons out there."
Hakeem Olajuwon, averaging 26.1 points and 13.5 rebounds, was held to 17 points and 7 rebounds. He sat out the final quarter after the Hawks built a 96-71 lead at the end of three quarters.
"I think Atlanta played a fantastic game," Olajuwon said. "I look at the end of the streak as a new beginning. We know we are going to lose sometimes. It is not a question of if, it is just a question of when."
Vernon Maxwell led the Rockets with 26 points.
A sellout crowd of 16,368 roared their approval throughout the rout as the Hawks remained unbeaten at home this season (8-0). Atlanta's overall winning streak now is the longest active one in the NBA.
"I don't know when we've ever played like that," Wilkins said. "We were fired up. But we want to congratulate them on their great achievement. We want to be happy, but it's early, so we have to keep things in perspective."
"The Hawks went out and played a great game tonight," Maxwell said. "They out-hustled us and out-played us. During the streak, on different nights, different guys would pick us up, but tonight it didn't happen."
It was apparent early that this was Atlanta's game. The Hawks led by 19 early in the second quarter, by 20 at halftime and by 34 in the third period.
Atlanta reached 100 points with 10:02 to play when Augmon scored on a hard dunk for a 101-73 lead.
Houston's only threat - and it wasn't much of one - came on an 11-2 run in the third when Atlanta's lead went from 94-60 to 96-71. Maxwell made a 3-pointer and a 21-footer and Olajuwon converted a three-point play in the spurt.
Robert Horry, who had 19 points, was charged with a technical on the final play of the third quarter when he shoved Craig Ehlo in the back.
Blaylock made the technical to start the final quarter and came back moments later with a layup that made it 99-73.
Augmon added 18 points and Kevin Willis had 12 points and 8 rebounds. Ehlo contributed 10 points and four second-quarter steals that helped the Hawks take control.
Atlanta shot 53 percent from the field, becoming the first team to shoot better than 50 percent against Houston this season. The Rockets also outrebounded Houston 54-45.
The sellout was the second of the season in the Omni, where the Hawks were drawing an average of 10,618 before Friday.