Rapid Recap: Bucks 99, Rockets 110

Streak snapping was not in the cards for the Milwaukee Bucks tonight, as the Houston Rockets won their 17th straight, 110-99. The Bucks trailed by only two after the first quarter, 24-22, but Houston erupted in the second, outscoring the Bucks by 10 and taking a 58-46 lead heading into halftime. Eric Bledsoe led the Bucks with 11 points. The third had a similar tenor, with the Bucks down 87-76 heading to the final stanza. Unfortunately, the Rockets’ lead remained out of reach as the Bucks ended with another loss.

Giannis Antetokounmpo built off his strong play of late, notching 30 points, seven rebounds and two blocks but just one assist on the night even in a losing effort. He was the Buck who showed up most acutely, far outweighing everyone else on the roster.

Khris Middleton came back from his passive play against Indiana to stuff the box score with 18 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and three steals. Sterling Brown came up with a surprising jolt off the bench, hitting 3 of 6 from deep and scoring 15 points. Eric Bledsoe tagged in with 15 points too on 4-11 shooting.

Houston had the usual suspects show up, with James Harden going for 26 points, five rebounds, six assists and four steals. Chris Paul didn’t add as much in the scoring column, but he did end up with 16 points and 11 assists. Eric Gordon rounded out the trio with 18 points on 4-8 from deep.

Stat That Stood Out

14 3-pointers - This one is pretty obvious, but Milwaukee played Houston to a relative standstill in most statistical categories. Fast break points, rebounds, turnovers and points in the paint were similar, but Houston’s five additional 3-pointers made (and 14 extra attempts), wound up being the difference as their percentages from deep were only 1.7% apart.