Rockets 117, Bucks 111: James Harden recorded 33 points and dished out five assists as Houston took a big lead and held off a late rally by visiting Milwaukee to win for the sixth time in the last seven games.

Trevor Ariza matched a season high with six 3-pointers en route to 24 points while Josh Smith scored 14 to go along with 10 rebounds and eight assists for the Rockets, who led by as many as 18 in the final quarter. Donatas Motiejunas chipped in with 14 points, Corey Brewer had 11 and Terrence Jones added 10 for Houston, which made 15-of-32 from 3-point range.

Giannis Antetokounmpo registered career highs with 27 points and 15 rebounds for the Bucks, who saw their season-high five-game winning streak come to an end. Jorge Gutierrez and Jerryd Bayless each scored 13 points while John Henson and Brandon Knight had 12 apiece for Milwaukee, which was 4-of-17 from behind the 3-point arc.

Ariza’s 3-pointer highlighted an 11-0 burst for a 12-point lead in the first quarter and the Rockets led by as many as 18 in the second before settling for a 68-56 edge at intermission. The Rockets shot 57.4 percent from the field and Ariza made five of their 10 from beyond the arc on the way to 21 points in the opening half.

The Bucks were able to shrink the lead to seven in the third quarter, but Harden had four points as Houston recorded the final six for a 96-82 advantage going to the fourth. Bayless scored eight to help Milwaukee cut an 18-point deficit to 107-104 before Ariza nailed a 3-pointer and the Rockets held on from there.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Harden has scored at least 30 points 22 times this season, including both outings against Milwaukee. Harden had 34 in the 117-103 win over the Bucks on Nov. 29. … The Rockets had 32 assists on 41 made field goals. … Milwaukee PF Ersan Ilyasova (groin) returned after missing the last four games to score six points in 16 minutes while Bucks C Zaza Pachulia (calf) was held out for the fifth straight contest.