ATLANTA -- James Harden made sure that the Houston Rockets did not go a fifth straight season without a victory in Atlanta.

Harden had 29 points and 11 assists before sitting the fourth quarter as the Rockets bombed away early and often from behind the 3-point arc in a 119-104 victory over the Hawks on Friday night.

"I'm just staying aggressive, making the right play and doing whatever it takes, whether it's scoring or passing," Harden said. "I'm staying in the attack mode."

Harden was 6 of 11 on 3-pointers and the Rockets (7-3) made 16 treys despite cooling off in the second half after hitting 50 percent before intermission.

"It's been a good couple of games," said Harden, who had a season-high 31 points in the Rockets' road victory against the New York Knicks on Wednesday and is averaging 26.8. "This was a good win for us, but it's going to be a whole season for us to get where we want to go. We're building on both ends of the floor. There are going to be some ups and downs."

The Rockets had lost seven straight games overall to the Hawks and hadn't won in Atlanta since a 109-102 victory on Nov. 2, 2012 when Harden scored 45 points in his second game for the team.

"Four seasons isn't a while," Harden said of the losing streak in Atlanta. "It's not 15 or 20."

Eric Gordon, averaging 23.4 points, and Luc Mbah a Moute each scored 20 points for the Rockets, who took 47 of their 89 shots from behind the 3-point arc.

"We're trying to pick it up. We haven't been shooting the 3-ball all that well," said Gordon, who has bettered his 16.2 scoring average from last season in each of his games. "We're always going to be on the attack. When we start making 3s, we're really going to be hard to stop."

Kent Bazemore scored 18 points to lead the Hawks, who have lost eight straight games since a victory at Dallas in their opener. Dennis Schroder and Taurean Prince each had 16 points.

"When a team like that comes in, it's a tough challenge. You almost have to play flawless," Bazemore said. "We had a few mistakes and they capitalized. You've got to give them credit."

The Rockets made four of their first six 3-point attempts while taking a 20-10 lead by midway in the first quarter. They led 69-51 at halftime thanks to 11-of-22 shooting from behind the arc.

Harden had 12 points in the first quarter and 21 by intermission, going 4 of 8 on treys and shooting 6 of 11 overall. He also had six first-half assists.

The Rockets shot 57.1 percent overall in the first half, making 13 of 20 two-point attempts and getting 17 points off the fast break. The 69 points were the most in a half for Houston this season.

Houston cooled off from deep in the third quarter, going 4 of 15, but led 97-76 as Harden and the other starters sat for much of the rest of the game. The Rockets finished shooting 48.1 percent overall.

Harden has had at least 20 points and seven assists in each of the Rockets' 10 games, matching his streak to start last season.

The Hawks (1-8) finished 11 of 33 from behind the arc.

"We're going to take our lumps, but for us, it's all about progress," Bazemore said.

NOTES: Rockets G Chris Paul, sidelined for nine games because of injured right knee, hasn't been cleared for practice, and his return is at least a couple weeks away. "Ballpark two weeks. Something like that," coach Mike D'Antoni said of Paul's potential return to the lineup. "That would be five weeks, which is about right. We're going to be cautious with him." ... Hawks G Malcolm Delaney, who sprained his right ankle Wednesday at Philadelphia, joined an Atlanta injury list that already included F Ersan Ilyasova (ankle), C Miles Plumlee (quad) and F DeAndre Bembry (wrist). ... The game against the Hawks completed a two-game road trip for the Rockets, who host Utah on Sunday. ... The Hawks play at Cleveland on Sunday before returning to Atlanta to face Boston on Monday. ... The Hawks honored outgoing Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed at halftime, retiring a jersey in his honor.