Giannis Antetokounmpo poured in 36 points and added 18 rebounds and eight assists but it wasn’t enough as the Milwaukee Bucks fell to the Houston Rockets 120-116 in Orlando on Sunday night.
Khris Middleton added 27 points and 12 rebounds and Brook Lopez had 23 points for the Bucks, who fell to 54-13 overall.
Russell Westbrook scored 31 points as Houston used a late 9-0 run to get back into the game. The Rockets tied the NBA record for most three-point attempts with 61. They made 21 of them. They also forced 22 Milwaukee turnovers.
The Bucks out-rebounded the Rockets 65-36.
The Bucks played without guards Eric Bledsoe and Pat Connaughton for a second straight game as they continue to work back into shape after testing positive for COVID-19.
It’s the first time in NBA history a team lost despite scoring at least 110 points, holding an opponent to less than 40% shooting (39.6%) and out-rebounding an opponent by at least 25. Before Sunday night, all 177 teams who did that won.
The Bucks return to action on Tuesday afternoon against the Brooklyn Nets.