The Milwaukee Bucks avenged a 19-point loss to Houston last week by rolling to a 127-114 win over the Rockets on Monday night at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a game-high 31 points and Jabari Parker added 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Bucks (21-23).
Matthew Dellavedova also added 16 points and seven assists as the Bucks ended a five game losing streak. Greg Monroe had 17 points, 10 rebounds and three steals.
The Bucks are just past the halfway mark of the season. Coach Jason Kidd said, “Sometimes as a young team, at the halfway point you might be a little tired. Losing doesn’t help, you get a little frustrated. I thought we have to smile. We haven’t been smiling of late and I thought our president (Peter Feigin) set the tone tonight.”
Kidd was referring to a message he got from the Bucks team president before the game.
James Harden had 26 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds for the Rockets (34-14), but he also finished with 11 turnovers.
The Bucks shot 68% from the field in the first half and led by as many as 15 points. They led 68-64 at halftime and 93-91 to open the fourth quarter.
The Bucks also got a big second half lift from veteran guard Jason Terry, who finished with eight points and three steals in 15 minutes.
The Bucks return to action on Wednesday at home against the Philadelphia 76ers.