Reed Sheppard ignited Houston with nine threes, but a shorthanded Bucks squad clawed back, forcing a nail-biting finish.
On Wednesday, April 1, the Houston Rockets defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 119-113 at Toyota Center, but not without making it interesting.
Milwaukee walked into this one extremely shorthanded. No Giannis, no real depth, just eight available bodies and a patchwork starting group- all the makings of a wire-to-wire Houston win.
And early on, it looked exactly like that.
The Rockets came out clean, connected, and unselfish, with seven assists on their first eight buckets. Reed Sheppard wasted no time setting the tone, knocking down two quick threes as Houston built a nine-point lead before the first timeout that stretched to 15 at its peak in the opening frame.
Milwaukee didn’t shoot it well early, but an 8-0 run late in the first trimmed the lead to seven.
The second quarter belonged to Sheppard. Three more from deep- way deep. By halftime, he had 15, forcing Milwaukee to guard him well beyond the arc, and in doing so, opening everything else up. Houston took a 54-44 lead into the break, even with Kevin Durant struggling to find his shot and the supporting cast shooting unevenly across the board.
To Milwaukee’s credit, they found real production from unlikely places. Larry Nance Jr. poured in 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting, knocking down five threes. Ryan Rollins added 25 points and four triples, while Jericho Sims dominated the glass with a 20-rebound night, eight of them offensive. Even Ousmane Dieng flirted with a monster line, finishing with 36 points and double-digit assists. Short-handed didn’t mean short on effort.
In the third, Houston pushed the lead to 20 behind another quick burst, with Sheppard staying hot and Alperen Şengün going 5-for-6, including a clean three of his own. But Milwaukee fired back with a flood from deep- 10 threes in the quarter- again slicing that 20-point cushion down to single digits in what felt like a blink.
All of a sudden, it was 85-78 heading into the fourth. Still no lead change, but definitely not comfortable. Every time Houston created separation, Milwaukee answered. That’s how the pendulum swung until the end.
Sheppard kept swinging, finishing with nine made threes- a new career high- and 27 points, with all but one shot coming from deep. Amen Thompson filled in the gaps with 18 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. Şengün added 25 and nine, battling through back soreness late, while Durant quietly stacked 19 points and nine assists.
With under two minutes to go, it was back to a two-possession game. Under ten seconds, it was down to four. Against a team with eight available players. Houston ultimately closed out their fourth straight home win, but not without leaving a lingering question.
Thirty assists. Efficient stretches. A 20-point lead. And still, they had to hang on.