Rockets' Fred VanVleet Continues Hot Streak vs. Hawks: 'He's Hard to Cover'

The Houston Rockets came up short against the Hawks, but Fred VanVleet continued his impressive streak.

HOUSTON — Houston Rockets' Fred VanVleet walked into the Toyota Center Wednesday night riding a hot streak, and despite a 134-127 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, he had one of his best performances of the season.

VanVleet finished with 32 points on 10 of 20 shooting, 7 of 9 from behind the arc, 15 assists and a pair of turnovers. His play helped the Rockets overcome a 20-point first-half deficit. He scored 10 points during the third period, as the Rockets took a 100-98 lead into the fourth quarter. 

His crafty play kept Hawks guard Trae Young in foul trouble most of the night. He picked up four fouls during the game en route to recording 30 points and 14 assists in the win.

Rockets guard Fred VanVleet shoots the ball during the second quarter against the Atlanta Hawks at Toyota Center / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

"He's [VanVleet] hard to cover," Hawks coach Quin Snyder said. "Trae was in foul trouble. You try to do a few things to help that with any of our guys. I thought they were forcing some switch situations. I thought late, we did a good job. There were a few possessions we defended well, and then we fouled jump shooters.

"Late, we were able to make them make some shots. I wish we would've contested more of their threes, but by and large, I think we defended better when we needed to, with some big stops."

VanVleet has lived up to the lofty expectations that came by becoming the only player who signed a max contract this offseason. Over the previous three games, despite Houston's losing skid, VanVleet has been one of the most productive players with averages of 27.0 points, 12.7 assists and 4.7 rebounds.

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After joining the Rockets, filling in the void as the primary veteran leader was VanVleet's most significant role during the 2023-24 season. But 25 games into the season, VanVleet may have taken the role of Houston's best player.