Rockets show no sign of misfiring
Houston extends win streak to 17 by vanquishing Milwaukee
MILWAUKEE — The Houston Rockets occasionally had trouble holding on to the ball and keeping up with the young Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night.
But as long as the Rockets keep nailing 3-pointers, they’re going to be hard to beat.
James Harden scored 26 points and Eric Gordon had 18 — including two momentum-swinging 3s in the third quarter — as the Rockets beat Milwaukee 110-99 for their 17th straight win.
Houston, which hasn’t lost since Jan 26 at New Orleans, passed the Boston Celtics for the longest winning streak in the NBA this season.
“We find ways to win,” Harden said. “It’s not going to be the same way every game.”
The latest victory came on the second of a tough backto-back stretch of road games that started with a 10-point victory at Oklahoma City.
The Rockets may have looked sluggish for long stretches against the Bucks, but still led by 10 for most of the fourth quarter until a late surge by Milwaukee sliced the lead to 104-99 on rookie Sterling Brown’s layup with 66 seconds remaining.
Chris Paul answered with a short floater in the lane with 45 seconds left after driving on Jason Terry to silence Bucks fans who were pleading “Defense! Defense!”
Paul finished with 16 points and 11 assists as Houston pulled within five victories of matching the franchise record for consecutive wins, set in 2008.
Houston obliged after forcing the Bucks to waste 15 seconds on the ensuing inbounds pass and settle for an off-balance 3 that missed. The Rockets led comfortably from there.
“There were a few 50-50 balls or offensive rebounds that we needed to secure that if we do, it gives us an opportunity to run,” Bucks coach Joe Prunty said.
“If we run, then maybe we can put them on their heels ... but the ball needs to move.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 30 points and Khris Middleton had 18 points for Milwaukee, while Brown had a career-high 15.
Paul had 16 points and 11 assists for the Rockets, who answered every Milwaukee charge.
The Bucks used an 11-0 run to get to within 73-69 with 3:25 left on Brown’s corner 3. They did most of their dam- age during the spurt around the bucket, with Antetokounmpo leading the way in the post.
Antetokounmpo scored 16 of his 30 points in the third quarter, singlehandedly bringing the Bucks to within four points.
The NBA’s most prolific 3-point shooting team countered with another display of clutch perimeter shooting.
The Rockets beat the Bucks down the floor to set up open shots on the wing. Gordon knocked down two 3s, and PJ Tucker added another 3 to help Houston close the third with a 14-7 run for an 87-76 lead.
“With a win streak like this you are doing a lot of things the right way,” Gordon said. “We still play for each other. We knew this was going to be a tough road trip.”
Houston got off to a sloppy start at the Bradley Center with a seven-turnover first quarter, a night after tying its season high with 22 turnovers in the 10-point win at Oklahoma City.
“It’s a little carelessness. We played two teams that create a lot of turnovers. A little bit of them and a little bit of us,” D’Antoni said.
The end of the first half offered a glimpse of what was still to come.
Harden hit a deep 3 just before the halftime buzzer from well beyond the arc with a defender in his face for a 58-46 lead.
The Bucks went stretches with the 6-foot-11 Antetokounmpo playing center to try to put a quicker lineup on the floor to counter the Rockets.
Houston still ended up hitting 47 percent from the floor and 35 percent (14 of 40) from 3-point range, and held a 22-14 edge in fast-break points.
“We’ve just got to stick with the game plan, close out, run them off the (3-point) line,” Brown said.