Turnovers plague Rockets in loss
Shoddy defense early, turnovers late bring out Milwaukee’s best
MILWAUKEE — The Bucks’ game plan was clear from the start and suited to all the young length and legs they put on the floor.
They would trap the ball, chase the Rockets off the 3-point line and make the Rockets try the extra pass. Eventually, they correctly presumed, they would get their hands on enough passes and be off to the races the other way.
The Rockets could score as they normally do when they kept the ball. They could slow the Bucks in the half court once they made a few matchup tweaks on Jabari Parker. But if they could not keep the ball, they could not backpedal to the other end of the floor to stop the Bucks.
With plenty of help from the Rockets, the Bucks scored 34 points off turnovers, the most against the Rockets this season, to send the Rockets to a 127-114 loss Monday night that continued two weeks of inconsistent play.
The Rockets have gone 3-5 since their nine-game winning streak, the last time they won consecutive games.
But the loss came with the Rockets following one of their better defensive performances of the season with a game in which they helped the Bucks to their top-scoring, bestshooting (58.8 percent) game of the season.
“We have to be consistent,” guard James Harden said. “We had a really good game last game defensively and this game, we just let up. In order to get where we
want to go, we have to be consistent on that end of the floor.”
The Bucks’ 68 first-half points were the most the Rockets have allowed this season, with their 68.3 percent shooting the best against the Rockets in a half this season. Parker scored 20 of his 28 points in the first half. Giannis Antetokounmpo following his 32 last week at Toyota Center with 31. Between them, they made 22 of 36 shots.
“We needed to get tougher and get into them and make them feel us,” coach Mike D’Antoni said. “We didn’t. Then, they hit everything.”
Good defense negated
The Rockets’ defense picked up long enough to go from a 15-point deficit to a fourth-quarter lead, but just as Rockets turnovers had triggered the Bucks’ fast start, they kick-started their faster finish.
The Rockets had shored up their defense in the third quarter. Late in the first half, the Rockets switched Nene to Parker and slowed the Bucks’ offense. In a quarter in which the Bucks made their first 13 attempts, they finished 2-of-6 with two turnovers after the defensive switch.
The Rockets kept a center on Parker the rest of the way and in the third quarter, held the Bucks to 40.9 percent shooting. Less than two minutes into the fourth quarter, Pat Beverley put in a layup to give the Rockets the lead and Beverley 18 points to match his season high. But as soon as the Rockets took the lead, they began turning the ball over again.
“They’re a tough team to guard in transition, especially after a turnover,” forward Ryan Anderson said. “They’re long. They can run. They’re athletic. Tonight, they shot the ball real well. We just turned the ball over a little carelessly.”
The Rockets’ eight turnovers after taking the lead in the fourth quarter were one shy of their most in a quarter this season, with the Bucks scoring 15 fourth-quarter points off turnovers to pull away.
“They’re long and athletic and they did a great job,” D’Antoni said. “It (turnovers) have always been a little bit of a problem. Tonight, a little bit more. But probably because they defended well. They’d lost five in a row so they’re desperate. They were a little bit more desperate than we were.”
Costly turnovers
The Rockets were considerably more charitable. The Rockets allow the fourth-most points off turnovers in the NBA. But they gave up nearly the 18 they allow per game in each half.
“The second and fourth quarter we just gave them too many opportunities,” said Harden, who had 26 points and 12 assists, but 11 turnovers. “You can’t get down double digits, especially on the road, and expect to come back. We have to do a better job of that.”
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