Rockets 102, Bucks 98
HOUSTON -- Trevor Ariza sank two free throws with 4.3 seconds left as the Houston Rockets held on for a 102-98 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night at Toyota Center.
Ariza finished with 19 points and matched his season high with five 3-pointers. Guard James Harden finished with a game-high 30 points plus eight assists while forward Terrence Jones (14 points, eight rebounds, four blocks), and guards Ty Lawson (11 points) and Marcus Thornton (10) scored in double figures off the bench for the Rockets (23-22).
Houston hit 15 of 44 3-pointers.
Milwaukee, league leaders in points in the paint, bludgeoned the Rockets inside with 58 points. Center Greg Monroe paired 21 points with nine rebounds while forward Giannis Antetokounmpo added 18 points. Aside from guard Khris Middleton, who scored 21 and hit a 3 to cut the deficit to two with 6.9 seconds left, the Bucks did damage inside.
The Bucks' early dominance in the paint -- they outscored Houston 20-10 there in the first quarter -- came as no surprise, nor was the scoring burst Middleton provided late in the opening period. Middleton closed the first with nine points to help shave an 11-point deficit to 31-28 entering the second, and when reserve guard Rashad Vaughn drilled a 3 with 10:49 left in the first half, the Bucks (19-26) grabbed their first lead at 33-31.
Nine seconds later, the Rockets pulled even, with swingman Corey Brewer igniting a 13-0 run with a twisting layup. That burst was the first of several for Houston, which repeatedly answered Bucks rallies with runs of their own. Harden keyed the burst in the second by contributing in transition, at the free-throw line, and behind the arc.
When the Bucks blitzed Houston to open the third, turning a 15-4 run into a 61-60 deficit via a driving layup from forward Jabari Parker, the Rockets responded. Ariza buried consecutive 3s to rebuild the lead to 71-64 before Houston scored 10 consecutive points bridging the third and fourth periods, opening their largest lead at 81-66 when forward Josh Smith, acquired earlier Friday, converted a drive to the basket.
NOTES: The Rockets acquired F Josh Smith from the Clippers on Friday, with the teams exchanging draft rights and Houston receiving cash considerations. Smith averaged 12 points and six rebounds over 55 games with Houston last season yet signed with the Clippers following an impactful postseason run. He fell out of the rotation in Los Angeles and expressed joy upon his return to Houston. "It's like a breath of fresh air," Smith said. ... With C Dwight Howard sidelined by a left ankle sprain, the Rockets utilized their 15th starting lineup of the season with James Harden and Trevor Ariza joining C Clint Capela in the frontcourt while Jason Terry and Corey Brewer started at guard. ... Milwaukee coach Jason Kidd, out since right hip surgery on Dec. 21, is expected to return to the bench next week when the Bucks complete their current road trip in New Orleans on Saturday.