ATLANTA -- After being missing in action for the first half of the season, Tim Hardaway Jr. is beginning to show why the Atlanta Hawks were willing to trade a first-round draft pick for him.

Hardaway played only four games and served two terms in the D-League before he worked his way into the rotation in January. He's since become a steady contributor and Saturday scored 20 points for the second consecutive game and played a key role in the team's fifth straight win.

"If he can play like this every night, we'll take that," Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer said. "I don't use the 'we have to get better' on him tonight. He's coming out and doing the stuff he's been doing all year since he got back into the rotation. There's a confidence on his part.”

Hardaway and fellow reserve Dennis Schroder combined for 34 points and sparked a fourth-quarter rally to lead the Atlanta Hawks to a 109-97 victory over the Houston Rockets on Saturday.

The win was Atlanta's fifth straight over Houston and gave the Hawks a 2-0 sweep of the season series. The Hawks have won 10 of their last 12, improved to a season-best 12 games over .500 and remain third in the Eastern Conference.

Hardaway eight of his points in the fourth quarter, and Schroder scored 14 points with four assists, to spark a 23-12 fourth-quarter run that broke the game open.

Hardaway shot 7-for-11, including 5-for-7 on 3-pointers. He also had three rebounds and two steals.

"It's just hard work paying off right now," Hardaway said. "Hopefully the season goes the way we plan on finishing it out."

Atlanta (41-29) also got 22 points and nine rebounds from center Al Horford, 11 points from guard Kyle Korver and 10 points, five assists and five steals from forward Thabo Sefolosha.

Houston (35-35) was led by guard Michael Beasley, who scored a season-high 30 points, and guard James Harden, who scored 25 points but committed two crucial turnovers in the fourth quarter than enabled Atlanta to put the game away.

Harden twisted an ankle when he was fouled by Sefolosha late in the third quarter. He played nearly seven minutes in the fourth quarter but failed to score.

"He tried to fight through it' he's a gamer," Houston coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. "I'm sure it had some impact."

The Rockets also got 13 points from center Donatas Motiejunas. Center Dwight Howard was limited to eight points, but had 17 rebounds.

"We didn't shoot the ball well enough when we had the looks that we got and liked," Bickerstaff said. "We didn't make enough of those shots, but you have to give them credit.”

The first half was a game of runs.

Houston led 10-4 early, but Atlanta scored 11 unanswered points to take the lead. The Hawks, led by Hardaway's eight points, closed the period with a 26-6 run and led 30-16 after the first quarter.

Houston turned things around in the second quarter. Beasley came off the bench to score 11 and Harden warmed up to score 14 of his 16 first-half points. The Rockets used a 19-2 run and led 58-52 at halftime.

"We had way too many turnovers (nine for 17 points) in the first half," Sefolosha said.

The Rockets extended their lead to 62-54 in the third quarter but Atlanta scrambled back behind three 3-pointers by Korver. Houston led 83-82 after three quarters.

"Down the stretch we just made some mistakes, pick and roll coverage to leave some guys open," Bickerstaff said. "Horford hit a big 3 in the corner and Sefolosha hit a big 3 from the corner. They make you pay for mistakes.

"They've got five guys they put on the floor than stretch you."

NOTES: The basketball was removed from the game in the first quarter after Atlanta's Paul Millsap complained it was sticky. Officials found a foreign substance on the ball and took it out of play. Security officials later confiscated an unidentified can for further examination. ... Houston F Sam Dekker was unavailable for the fourth straight game because of soreness in his lower back. The rookie has missed 48 games with injuries this season. ... Houston C Dwight Howard played at Southwest Atlanta Christian School and was Georgia's Mr. Basketball before skipping college for the NBA. ... Atlanta G Kent Bazemore was a late inclusion the starting lineup. He was questionable because of a bone bruise that forced him to miss the March 17 game against Denver. ... Atlanta is trying to hold onto the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference, which would enable the Hawks to avoid a matchup with Cleveland until the conference finals. ... Atlanta hosts Washington on Monday night. Houston plays at Oklahoma City on Tuesday.