The Houston Rockets were playing without two starters, including center Dwight Howard, but James Harden poured in 30 points and added eight assists and five rebounds to help knock off the Milwaukee Bucks 102-98 in Houston Friday night.
The Bucks (19-26) saw their three-game win streak come to an end. They did make a late run and climbed to within two points after a Khris Middleton three-pointer with 6.9 seconds left. But Houston’s Trevor Ariza sank a pair of free throws with 4.3 seconds to play to secure the victory for the Rockets.
The Bucks were outscored 45-9 from three-point range as the Rockets hit 15 of 44 from distance, while the Bucks finished three of 14 from beyond the arc.
Khris Middleton and Greg Monroe scored 21 points apiece and Giannis Antetokounmpo added 18 for the Bucks. Milwaukee will try to wrap up their road trip with a winning record when they face New Orleans tonight.