Rockets overcome Antetokounmpo's 48 points, beat slumping Bucks 112-108
HOUSTON (AP) Alperen Sengun scored 21 points and the Houston Rockets overcame 48 points from Giannis Antetokounmpo to beat the Milwaukee Bucks 112-108 on Saturday night.
Antetokounmpo shot 16 of 25 from the field and added 17 rebounds in his seventh straight double-double. But the Bucks lost for the third time in four games to start 2024 after going 11-2 in December.
“We have to be better. We have to play better, we have to defend better, we have to trust one another better, we have to be coached better,” Antetokounmpo said. “Every single thing, everybody has to be better. It starts from the equipment manager - he has to wash our clothes better. The bench has to be better, the leaders of the team have to be more vocal, we have to make more shots, we have to defend better, we have to have a better strategy, we have to be better. We have four months to get better, so we’ll see.”
Jalen Green scored 16 points for Houston. Fred VanVleet had 14 points and seven assists, and Jabari Smith Jr. added 14 points and 12 rebounds.
The Rockets entered the fourth quarter with an 89-73 lead.
Damian Lillard had 18 points and nine assists in a poor-shooting night. He missed a season-high three free throws, on 10 attempts, and went 5 for 16 from the field, including 1 for 8 from 3.
“It’ll come. It’s a team sport, it’s five guys out there,” Bucks coach Adrian Griffin said. “I thought we dug ourselves in a hole as a unit and did a good job of getting out of it but just ran out of time. They did a good job defensively.”
Khris Middleton added 10 points on 3-of-9 shooting for the Bucks.
Veteran Rockets reserve Jeff Green had a season-high 16 points. Cam Whitmore added 12 off the bench and Aaron Holiday had 11. The Rockets’ bench outscored Milwaukee’s 43-22.
“We played as hard as we can,” Sengun said. “They’re a really good team. We did everything to stop them except Giannis. He played a great game, but we guarded everybody else good so we won the game.”
Houston closed the first quarter on a 13-0 run to take a 29-16 lead.
The Rockets outscored Milwaukee 15-6 in the last four minutes of the second quarter to enter halftime with a 63-43 lead. Houston led by as many as 21 points in the game and didn't allow anyone other than Antetokounmpo to make more than five baskets.
“He’s a hard guard,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “We can live with one guy going off as long as we keep everybody else under wraps. Giannis is a tough one. You’ve got to pick your poison at times. We’ve shown this year that when we go after everybody else and let one guy loose, we have good results.”
Rockets forward Dillon Brooks remained sidelined for a sixth straight game with a right abdominal oblique strain.
The Rockets wrapped up a seven-game homestand in which they went 3-4 to move to 18-16. Their next six games will be on the road against Eastern Conference opponents.
UP NEXT
Bucks: Host the Jazz on Monday night.
Rockets: Visit Miami on Monday night.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Brook Lopez vs. Alperen Sengun (Giannis Antetokounmpo gains possession) | ||
| 11:44 |  | Khris Middleton turnover (bad pass) (Jae'Sean Tate steals) | ||
| 11:35 | | Alperen Sengun misses two point running layup | ||
| 11:35 | | Jae'Sean Tate offensive rebound | ||
| 11:34 | | Jae'Sean Tate misses two point tip layup | ||
| 11:33 | | Khris Middleton defensive rebound | ||
| 11:22 | | +2 | Giannis Antetokounmpo makes two point running dunk (Damian Lillard assists) | 2-0 |
| 11:04 | | Alperen Sengun misses two point jump shot | ||
| 11:04 | | Giannis Antetokounmpo defensive rebound | ||
| 10:52 | | +2 | Giannis Antetokounmpo makes two point driving finger roll layup | 4-0 |
| 10:25 | | Alperen Sengun misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 10:24 | | Giannis Antetokounmpo defensive rebound | ||
| 10:02 | | Damian Lillard misses two point driving finger roll layup | ||
| 10:02 | | Fred VanVleet defensive rebound | ||
| 9:55 | | Khris Middleton shooting foul (Alperen Sengun draws the foul) | ||
| 9:55 | | +1 | Alperen Sengun makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 4-1 |
| 9:55 | | +1 | Alperen Sengun makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 4-2 |
| 9:37 | | Brook Lopez misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:36 | | Jae'Sean Tate defensive rebound | ||
| 9:26 | | Alperen Sengun misses two point cutting layup | ||
| 9:25 | | Brook Lopez defensive rebound | ||
| 9:06 | | Khris Middleton misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:05 | | Alperen Sengun defensive rebound | ||
| 8:58 | | Malik Beasley personal foul (Alperen Sengun draws the foul) | ||
| 8:53 | | Fred VanVleet misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 8:52 | | Giannis Antetokounmpo defensive rebound | ||
| 8:35 | | Alperen Sengun personal foul (Brook Lopez draws the foul) | ||
| 8:24 | | +2 | Giannis Antetokounmpo makes two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot (Damian Lillard assists) | 6-2 |
| 8:07 | | +2 | Alperen Sengun makes two point floating jump shot (Jalen Green assists) | 6-4 |
| 8:00 | | Jae'Sean Tate shooting foul (Damian Lillard draws the foul) | ||
| 8:00 | | +1 | Damian Lillard makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 7-4 |
| 8:00 | | Alperen Sengun defensive rebound | ||
| 8:00 | | Damian Lillard misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 7:45 | | Fred VanVleet misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 7:44 | | Giannis Antetokounmpo defensive rebound | ||
| 7:30 | | Damian Lillard misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:29 | | Jae'Sean Tate defensive rebound | ||
| 7:21 | | Giannis Antetokounmpo shooting foul (Jabari Smith Jr. draws the foul) | ||
| 7:21 | | Jabari Smith Jr. misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 7:21 | | Rockets offensive rebound | ||
| 7:21 | | +1 | Jabari Smith Jr. makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 7-5 |
| 7:04 | | Khris Middleton turnover (bad pass) (Jalen Green steals) | ||
| 7:00 | | Brook Lopez shooting foul (Alperen Sengun draws the foul) | ||
| 7:00 | | +1 | Alperen Sengun makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 7-6 |
| 7:00 | | +1 | Alperen Sengun makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 7-7 |
| 6:39 | | Khris Middleton misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:38 | | Jae'Sean Tate defensive rebound | ||
| 6:31 | | Malik Beasley shooting foul (Jalen Green draws the foul) | ||
| 6:31 | | Rockets 60 second timeout | ||
| 6:31 | | +1 | Jalen Green makes regular free throw 1 of 3 | 7-8 |
| 6:31 | | +1 | Jalen Green makes regular free throw 2 of 3 | 7-9 |
| 6:31 | | +1 | Jalen Green makes regular free throw 3 of 3 | 7-10 |
| 6:14 | | Damian Lillard misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 6:13 | | Jae'Sean Tate defensive rebound | ||
| 5:58 | | +2 | Jalen Green makes two point driving layup | 7-12 |
| 5:39 | | +3 | Malik Beasley makes three point jump shot (Damian Lillard assists) | 10-12 |
| 5:21 | | Alperen Sengun misses two point turnaround hook shot | ||
| 5:21 | | Bobby Portis defensive rebound | ||
| 5:06 | | Brook Lopez misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:05 | | Jalen Green defensive rebound | ||
| 4:52 | | Fred VanVleet misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 4:51 | | Bobby Portis defensive rebound | ||
| 4:28 | | +3 | Bobby Portis makes three point jump shot (MarJon Beauchamp assists) | 13-12 |
| 4:11 | | +2 | Jeff Green makes two point jump shot (Amen Thompson assists) | 13-14 |
| 3:59 | | MarJon Beauchamp turnover (out of bounds lost ball) | ||
| 3:46 | | Alperen Sengun misses two point cutting finger roll layup | ||
| 3:46 | | Damian Lillard defensive rebound | ||
| 3:37 | | Amen Thompson shooting foul (Bobby Portis draws the foul) | ||
| 3:37 | | +1 | Bobby Portis makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 14-14 |
| 3:37 | | Bobby Portis misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 3:37 | | Alperen Sengun defensive rebound | ||
| 3:14 | | +2 | Alperen Sengun makes two point turnaround hook shot | 14-16 |
| 2:57 | | +2 | Giannis Antetokounmpo makes two point dunk | 16-16 |
| 2:40 | | Amen Thompson turnover (bad pass) (Damian Lillard steals) | ||
| 2:32 | | Pat Connaughton misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:31 | | Amen Thompson defensive rebound | ||
| 2:25 | | Aaron Holiday misses three point running pullup jump shot | ||
| 2:24 | | MarJon Beauchamp defensive rebound | ||
| 2:13 | | +2 | Damian Lillard makes two point driving reverse layup | 18-16 |
| 2:13 | | Rockets 60 second timeout | ||
| 2:02 | | +2 | Amen Thompson makes two point driving dunk | 18-18 |
| 1:37 | | MarJon Beauchamp misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 1:36 | | Cam Whitmore defensive rebound | ||
| 1:25 | | +2 | Cam Whitmore makes two point driving layup (Jeff Green assists) | 18-20 |
| 1:25 | | Bobby Portis shooting foul (Cam Whitmore draws the foul) | ||
| 1:25 | | +1 | Cam Whitmore makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 18-21 |
| 1:06 | | Damian Lillard misses three point jump shot | ||
| 1:05 | | Jeff Green defensive rebound | ||
| 0:58 | | Bobby Portis blocks Jeff Green's two point running layup | ||
| 0:58 | | Rockets offensive rebound | ||
| 0:56 | | +3 | Aaron Holiday makes three point jump shot (Amen Thompson assists) | 18-24 |
| 0:46 | | Bobby Portis misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 0:45 | | Jabari Smith Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 0:37 | | +3 | Jabari Smith Jr. makes three point running pullup jump shot | 18-27 |
| 0:29 | | Giannis Antetokounmpo turnover (lost ball) (Cam Whitmore steals) | ||
| 0:05 | | +2 | Cam Whitmore makes two point driving layup | 18-29 |
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:48 | | Jeff Green misses two point driving finger roll layup | ||
| 11:47 | | Bucks defensive rebound | ||
| 11:22 | | +3 | Pat Connaughton makes three point stepback jump shot (Cameron Payne assists) | 21-29 |
| 11:10 | | Aaron Holiday turnover (bad pass) (Bobby Portis steals) | ||
| 11:06 | | Jabari Smith Jr. shooting foul (Giannis Antetokounmpo draws the foul) | ||
| 11:06 | | +1 | Giannis Antetokounmpo makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 22-29 |
| 11:06 | | +1 | Giannis Antetokounmpo makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 23-29 |
| 10:52 | | Jabari Smith Jr. misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 10:51 | | MarJon Beauchamp defensive rebound | ||
| 10:44 | | +2 | Giannis Antetokounmpo makes two point driving hook shot | 25-29 |
| 10:29 | | +2 | Aaron Holiday makes two point driving floating jump shot (Amen Thompson assists) | 25-31 |
| 10:14 | | Amen Thompson personal foul (Giannis Antetokounmpo draws the foul) | ||
| 9:59 | | Giannis Antetokounmpo misses two point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 9:57 | | Rockets defensive rebound | ||
| 9:43 | | Jabari Smith Jr. misses two point jump shot | ||
| 9:43 | | Pat Connaughton defensive rebound | ||
| 9:36 | | Jeff Green shooting foul (Giannis Antetokounmpo draws the foul) | ||
| 9:36 | | +1 | Giannis Antetokounmpo makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 26-31 |
| 9:36 | | Giannis Antetokounmpo misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 9:35 | | Jabari Smith Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 9:21 | | +2 | Jeff Green makes two point cutting layup (Amen Thompson assists) | 26-33 |
| 9:21 | | MarJon Beauchamp shooting foul (Jeff Green draws the foul) | ||
| 9:21 | | +1 | Jeff Green makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 26-34 |
| 9:08 | | Bobby Portis misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:07 | | Cam Whitmore defensive rebound | ||
| 8:57 | | Cam Whitmore misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 8:56 | | Bobby Portis defensive rebound | ||
| 8:44 | | Bobby Portis misses two point turnaround hook shot | ||
| 8:43 | | Aaron Holiday defensive rebound | ||
| 8:28 | | +3 | Cam Whitmore makes three point jump shot (Jeff Green assists) | 26-37 |
| 8:27 | | Bucks 60 second timeout | ||
| 8:12 | | +2 | Khris Middleton makes two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | 28-37 |
| 7:55 | | Jeff Green misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 7:54 | | Brook Lopez defensive rebound | ||
| 7:41 | | +3 | Brook Lopez makes three point jump shot (Khris Middleton assists) | 31-37 |
| 7:25 | | Brook Lopez shooting foul (Jeff Green draws the foul) | ||
| 7:25 | | Jeff Green misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 7:25 | | Rockets offensive rebound | ||
| 7:25 | | +1 | Jeff Green makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 31-38 |
| 7:12 | | Khris Middleton misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:10 | | Jabari Smith Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 7:00 | | Bobby Portis personal foul (Fred VanVleet draws the foul) | ||
| 6:53 | | +3 | Aaron Holiday makes three point jump shot (Fred VanVleet assists) | 31-41 |
| 6:35 | | +2 | Bobby Portis makes two point turnaround jump shot | 33-41 |
| 6:23 | | Jeff Green misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:21 | | Jae'Sean Tate offensive rebound | ||
| 6:17 | | +2 | Jae'Sean Tate makes two point driving layup | 33-43 |
| 6:16 | | Bucks 60 second timeout | ||
| 5:59 | | +2 | Brook Lopez makes two point hook shot (Khris Middleton assists) | 35-43 |
| 5:42 | | +2 | Alperen Sengun makes two point floating jump shot (Fred VanVleet assists) | 35-45 |
| 5:17 | | Brook Lopez misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 5:16 | | Jae'Sean Tate defensive rebound | ||
| 5:07 | | Alperen Sengun misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:07 | | Giannis Antetokounmpo defensive rebound | ||
| 5:02 | | Jae'Sean Tate shooting foul (Khris Middleton draws the foul) | ||
| 5:02 | | +1 | Khris Middleton makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 36-45 |
| 5:02 | | +1 | Khris Middleton makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 37-45 |
| 4:45 | | +3 | Fred VanVleet makes three point pullup jump shot (Alperen Sengun assists) | 37-48 |
| 4:23 | | Brook Lopez misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 4:22 | | Alperen Sengun defensive rebound | ||
| 4:12 | | +2 | Fred VanVleet makes two point pullup jump shot (Alperen Sengun assists) | 37-50 |
| 3:59 | | Damian Lillard misses two point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 3:58 | | Alperen Sengun defensive rebound | ||
| 3:50 | | +2 | Jalen Green makes two point pullup jump shot | 37-52 |
| 3:49 | | Bucks 60 second timeout | ||
| 3:26 | | Giannis Antetokounmpo misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 3:26 | | Jabari Smith Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 3:06 | | Alperen Sengun misses two point turnaround bank hook shot | ||
| 3:05 | | Giannis Antetokounmpo defensive rebound | ||
| 2:55 | | +2 | Brook Lopez makes two point reverse layup (Khris Middleton assists) | 39-52 |
| 2:38 | | +3 | Fred VanVleet makes three point pullup jump shot | 39-55 |
| 2:28 | | Damian Lillard misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 2:27 | | Jalen Green defensive rebound | ||
| 2:17 | | Jalen Green misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 2:15 | | Fred VanVleet offensive rebound | ||
| 2:06 | | +2 | Alperen Sengun makes two point bank jump shot (Fred VanVleet assists) | 39-57 |
| 1:57 | | Jae'Sean Tate personal foul (Giannis Antetokounmpo draws the foul) | ||
| 1:57 | | +1 | Giannis Antetokounmpo makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 40-57 |
| 1:57 | | Giannis Antetokounmpo misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 1:56 | | Rockets defensive rebound | ||
| 1:46 | | +2 | Jalen Green makes two point driving finger roll layup | 40-59 |
| 1:37 | | +2 | Giannis Antetokounmpo makes two point cutting dunk (Damian Lillard assists) | 42-59 |
| 1:21 | | Khris Middleton shooting foul (Jalen Green draws the foul) | ||
| 1:21 | | +1 | Jalen Green makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 42-60 |
| 1:21 | | +1 | Jalen Green makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 42-61 |
| 1:07 | | Khris Middleton turnover (lost ball) (Jabari Smith Jr. steals) | ||
| 0:57 |