Middleton has 30 points and 5 steals as Bucks beat Rockets 128-121
Khris Middleton had 30 points and 5 steals, making all 15 of his free throws, and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Houston Rockets 128-121.
Middleton’s 9-foot floater put the Bucks ahead for good with 7:20 left in the fourth quarter.
The Rockets got within 112-111 on Josh Smith’s 3-pointer with 5:15 to play, but Middleton answered with a floater, and the Rockets got no closer.
During clutch time, the Bucks outscored the Rockets 9-0. Jerryd Bayless scored 4 of the Bucks’ 9 on 1 for 1 shooting and 1 for 2 at the line.
Jabari Parker scored a season-high 36 points (26 in the paint) on 16 for 25 shooting. The Bucks had 2 30-point scorers.
For the Rockets, Dwight Howard had 30 points (24 in the paint) and 13 rebounds, and James Harden added 26 points, 9 assists and 3 steals. Trevor Ariza had 20 points, 8 rebounds and a season-high 11 assists on 6 for 9 shooting. The Rockets had 3 20-point scorers.
The Bucks shot 59.3% from the field and 53.3% from 3 to the Rockets’ 47.1% and 41.7%. The Bucks outscored the Rockets 28-16 in 10 minutes with Bayless, Monroe, Middleton, Antetokounmpo and Parker on the floor together.