Milwaukee Bucks Get Throttled by Houston Rockets in Fourth Loss of Season

The Milwaukee Bucks were defeated by the Houston Rockets 132-100 in a game that was completely controlled by one team. Houston was led by guard Fred VanVleet, who finished the game with 24 points and 5 assists. 

Milwaukee’s leading scorer in this one was Tyler Herro, who finished with 23 points on an efficient 9-of-13 shooting. Individually, he’s putting together a solid season, but as a whole, this team has things they need to figure out quickly. 

For Houston, they’re on a roll as they’ve started out a perfect 5-0 this season. After the game, Fred VanVleet was asked about the team’s hot start, and he said he’s not worried about the team's record. Instead, he cares more about how this team will finish the season, particularly in the playoffs. 

This was a Rockets team that lost in the first round to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2026 playoffs, and it was a depleted team as Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves missed time. 

“I could care less about the record. We’re focused on getting out of the 1st round this year,” VanVleet said. 

On the other side, this Bucks team has to find ways to keep improving this season.  The Rockets were no pushover, but a 1-4 start is certainly what the Bucks didn’t want to see to start of the season.  

Going into this season, it was expected that Tyler Herro would lead the charge and be the team’s number one option on offense, but this roster is young, and inconsistent play from others has hurt this team. 

Shooting as a whole was a struggle in this one for Milwaukee, as they were 40 percent from the field for the whole game. From three-point range, they also struggled, shooting 12-41. 

Guard Ryan Rollins specifically struggled from the field in this one, shooting 2-14. If the Bucks want to have a successful season where they stay competitive, his ability to be productive is extremely important. 

Moving forward, the Bucks will need to find a way to be more efficient on offense. If they continue to have games where they shoot poorly from the field, this season could get away from them in a hurry. 

This is especially important against playoff-contending teams like the Rockets, as they can pull away fast and keep you out of games with their efficient scoring. It will be interesting to see what kind of adjustments head coach Taylor Jenkins makes for the Bucks moving forward.