Rockets Suffer Heartbreaking 101-100 Loss to Bucks
No Cigar. Swing Game. Back Home.
Damian Lillard hit a layup with 2.0 seconds remaining, as the Houston Rockets lost a heartbreaker, 101-100, to the Bucks on Monday night. On the final play, Head Coach Ime Udoka drew up a beautiful play, but Fred VanVleet overthrew the pass to Alperen Sengun, who was wide open in the paint as defenders focused on Jalen Green. It’s a tough loss for the Rockets, but Milwaukee is much better than their 5-9 record. The Bucks will likely a force to contend with in the East once again this season. The loss snaps Houston’s five-game winning streak, and now gives the Rockets a 10-5 record. This was a game of swings. The Rockets jumped out to an early lead, the Bucks stormed back to lead by a dozen at halftime. Houston came back and had the lead late in the fourth quarter, 100-94, but Milwaukee scored the final seven points to earn the win.
Fred VanVleet scored 17 of his team-high 26 points in the third quarter, as he provided the spark to ignite the Rockets comeback. After a slow start to the game, Jalen Green scored 10 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter, and was the decoy on the final play. A better pass from FVV and Houston would’ve likely won this matchup. Alperen Sengun finished with 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. And Tari Eason had a monstrous effort performance off the bench. Eason contributed 9 points, 14 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 blocks, incredibly impressive hustle stats for a reserve. But that’s what Tari does. The other half of the “Terror Twins,” Amen Thompson, scored 10 points and grabbed 7 boards on the evening. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, and Brook Lopez combined to scored 66 of Milwaukee’s 101 points.
Even with the loss, the Rockets kept their streak of scoring 100 plus points alive, which is the longest current streak in the NBA. Houston’s defense was excellent, but the Rockets once again struggled with their shot. The squad had three guys (FVV, Green, Sengun) combine to take nearly 70 shots. This team is more successful when the shots and scoring is more balanced. Regardless, Houston still outplayed the Bucks, and should’ve escaped Milwaukee with an impressive win. Every loss for the Rockets this season besides the blowout in Oklahoma City to the Thunder has been in heartbreaking fashion. Add this latest one points loss in Milwaukee to the list. Along with an overtime loss to the Golden State Warriors. And heartbreaking close losses to the Charlotte Hornets and San Antonio Spurs. Games Houston knows they could have won.
Up next, the Rockets will now return to Toyota Center for three straight games starting with a matchup with the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night. Houston has won five straight matchups at home. They’ll aim to make it six in a row against a Pacers team that’s gotten off to a slow start, much like every team in the Eastern Conference, besides the Cleveland Cavaliers or Boston Celtics. It’s time for the Rockets to move on from this tough loss, and get back to some home cookin’ in front of the fans at Toyota Center.