National Basketball Association
Milwaukee 128, Houston 119
When: 7:00 PM ET, Sunday, December 17, 2023
Where: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Officials: #55 Bill Kennedy, #82 Suyash Mehta, #32 Marat Kogut
Attendance: 17341

Damian Lillard had 39 points and 11 assists as the Milwaukee Bucks posted their fourth straight win, beating the visiting Houston Rockets 128-119 on Sunday.

Giannis Antetokounmpo added 26 points and 17 rebounds, Khris Middleton scored 20 points, Brook Lopez had 18 and Bobby Portis Jr. finished with 11 for Milwaukee, which shot 50 percent from the field and snapped the Rockets' five-game winning streak.

Fred VanVleet led Houston with 22 points. Alperen Sengun tallied 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists while Dillon Brooks had 18 points. Jalen Green, Jeff Green and Jabari Smith Jr. each scored 16 points, and Tari Eason chipped in 11.

Houston trailed by as many as 14 late in the third quarter before cutting the deficit to 118-113 when VanVleet scored with 3:26 remaining in the game. Milwaukee scored the next four points to help secure the victory and extend its home winning streak to 13 games.

Antetokounmpo passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (7,161 rebounds) as the Bucks' all-time leading rebounder when he grabbed his 14th board nearly midway through the fourth quarter.

Houston lost despite shooting 52.9 percent from the field and 11 of 27 (40.7 percent) from 3-point range.

Lillard set the tone in the game's opening minutes and finished with 15 points in the first quarter to help give the Bucks a 33-28 lead.

Milwaukee never trailed following a first quarter that featured 15 ties or lead changes. The Bucks used a 14-6 run to move ahead by 13 late in the second quarter.

Lillard scored 20 points and Antetokounmpo had 17 in the first half to lead the Bucks, who held a 71-60 advantage at the break.

Houston remained within striking distance and trailed 100-91 at the start of the final period.

Milwaukee played without guard Malik Beasley, who missed his second straight game with a non-COVID illness.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Houston   Milwaukee
Fred VanVleet 22 Scoring Damian Lillard 39
Jalen Green 7 Assists Damian Lillard 11
Alperen Sengun 8 Rebounds Giannis Antetokounmpo 17
Jeff Green 7 Free Throws Made Damian Lillard 12
Dillon Brooks 2 Steals Damian Lillard 3
Fred VanVleet 2 Blocks Brook Lopez 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Houston 119 52.9 11-27 18-21 26 31 4 8 10
Milwaukee 128 50.0 13-36 25-32 25 46 1 4 17
Upcoming Games
  • Milwaukee will play their next game at home against San Antonio. The Bucks have a W/L % of .684 after a win and .857 after a loss.
  • Houston will play their next game on the road against Cleveland. The Rockets have a W/L % of .714 after a win and .333 after a loss.