KENYON MARTIN

Trae Young had 28 points and 11 assists as the Atlanta Hawks wrapped up the regular season with a 130-114 win over the Houston Rockets — a victory that didn’t improve their postseason position.

Davion Mitchell, Damian Jones and Trey Lyles scored 24 points each, and the Sacramento Kings outlasted the Houston Rockets for a 121-118 win.

Eric Gordon scored 21 points before being ejected in the fourth quarter and Garrison Mathews added 19 as the Houston Rockets extended their winning streak to seven games with a 114-104 victory over the shorthanded Brooklyn Nets.

Stephen Curry bounced back from a rough first half with 23 of his 30 points in the third quarter, and the Golden State Warriors beat the Houston Rockets 113-87.

Today, the Rockets are one of the worst teams in the NBA with a team made up of mostly young players, interspersed with a handful of veterans like John Wall and D.J. Augustin. And it has become clear that the team is focused on building for the future and taking the lumps that come with those growing pains.

Support UsThere is no point in trying to gloss over 18 straight losses by the Houston Rockets. There are silver linings for this Rockets team too. Stephen Silas and Rafael StoneIt could be argued that the Rockets team of coach and GM resembles that of the Astros circa 2015. Draft picks can make valuable trade pieces and could jumpstart the rebuild process as quickly as a young star fresh out of college. Whatever the case, it should give fans hope that, despite the losing, there is light at the end of the tunnel for the Rockets.

The Nets moved seven games ahead of ninth-place Washington in the Eastern Conference standings, and now the Wizards hopes of forcing a play-in series are fading. Thomas Bryant had a career-high 30 points and 13 rebounds, and Troy Brown Jr. added 22 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists for the Wizards. The Nets are without DeAndre Jordan, Spencer Dinwiddie and Taurean Prince because of positive coronavirus tests before the restart. His 170 jams last season tied Kenyon Martin (2002-03) for the most in a season since the stat first was kept during the 1997-98 season. He is in his first season with the Nets after signing a two-way contract with the team in January.