Antetokounmpo, Bucks bump off Rockets
MILWAUKEE -- A late 11-0 run helped the Milwaukee Bucks hold off the Houston Rockets and a snap a five-game losing streak with a 127-114 victory Monday night at the Bradley Center.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 31 points and Jabari Parker had 28 to lead the Bucks, who shot 58.2 percent from the floor and made 11 of 23 3-point attempts.
Houston shot 50.6 percent, making 39 of 76 shots, 14 of 35 3-point tries. Patrick Beverley (18 points) knocked down four from long distance, while Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon added three apiece.
James Harden led Houston with 26 points on 6-for-10 shooting. He added nine rebounds and 12 assists but also committed 11 of the Rockets' 22 turnovers, which the Bucks converted for 34 points.
Harden began the second quarter on the bench, and Milwaukee took full advantage, using a 14-0 run to turn a 33-all tie into a 47-33 lead.
Down by 15 after Jason Terry's 3-pointer at the 7:33 mark, the Rockets recovered quickly, and a Harden 3-pointer in the waning seconds of the half sent Houston into halftime down by only four.
Milwaukee shot 68 percent for the half but allowed eight Houston 3-pointers. The Rockets shot 52.4 percent.
Both sides cooled off in the third, and Houston managed to tie things up at 99 on a Clint Capela dunk with 8:22 to play. However, the Bucks used 3-pointers from Terry and Tony Snell to fuel their late run and went up 110-99 when Snell connected from the top of the key with 6:47 to play.
Harden made it a five-point deficit with four minutes left but Greg Monroe, Matthew Dellavedova and Antetokounmpo combined to go 6 of 6 from the line down the stretch to close it out.
NOTES: F Jabari Parker returned to Milwaukee's starting lineup Monday. Parker started the Bucks' first 42 games this season but came off the bench Saturday at Miami, a punishment for sharing details of a team meeting with members of the media. ... PG Matthew Dellavedova remained in the Bucks' starting lineup Monday. He had come off the bench in seven straight games before replacing G Malcolm Brogdon on Saturday. Dellavedova started Milwaukee's first 30 games this season before sitting out five with a hamstring injury. ... Monday marked the first time Houston F Sam Dekker played professionally in his home state, and he scored four points. Dekker grew up in Port Washington, Wis., and played for the University of Wisconsin.