As the Milwaukee Bucks faced the Houston Rockets in an East-West clash, all eyes were on Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant. Both stars delivered strong performances, but it was Milwaukee’s role players who carried the load early at Fiserv Forum on Nov. 9, before Giannis took over in the second half despite the team falling short.
Rebounding shaped the flow of the afternoon showdown, as the Rockets overpowered Milwaukee on both ends of the glass. Their 23-board edge kept them within reach before they surged late. Kevin Durant, backed by timely baskets from his teammates, helped Houston snatch back the lead in the closing minutes and close out a 122-115 win on the road.
Bucks head coach Doc Rivers admitted afterward that it felt like a game Milwaukee should have taken control of early. Instead, sloppy execution and stretches of uneven play allowed Houston to hang around and eventually take advantage.
“I thought we were bad on both ends of the floor. They’re a good team, but it was a game that was very winnable for us,” the Bucks head coach saidk.
“I thought we didn’t execute offensively at all… the ball stopped moving. Defensively, we gambled, [and] we did things that we just cannot do.”
The Rockets outhustling Doc Rivers and the Bucks
Durant opened the game in rhythm, scoring seven of Houston’s first nine points while helping the Rockets set the early tempo. Myles Turner, coming off his best outing as a Buck against Chicago on Nov. 7, answered immediately, matching Durant’s energy and knocking down seven of Milwaukee’s first 10 points before the midway point of the opening quarter.
Giannis Antetokounmpo finally broke through with his first basket a little past the six-minute mark, and despite the slow start from their star, the Bucks carried a slim two-point edge into the second quarter.
The Bucks found their rhythm in the second quarter, sparked by Giannis Antetokounmpo, who had been quiet in the opening frame with just two points. He opened the period with a three-point play and quickly followed it up when Cole Anthony stripped the ball and fed him for an easy dunk, stretching Milwaukee’s lead to 35-28. Anthony then kept the momentum going with back-to-back drives to the rim, scoring four straight points and shaking off his cold shooting night from deep just two days earlier against the Bulls.
The second half turned into a showcase of star power as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant took over. Durant poured in 23 points after halftime to finish with 31 for the game, while Antetokounmpo countered with 37 points, eight rebounds, and three assists. Giannis dominated the third quarter in particular, exploding for 14 points to keep Milwaukee within reach.
The Bucks controlled much of the fourth quarter, but Houston mounted a late surge to reclaim the lead for the first time since early in the game, taking a 113-111 advantage. Giannis missed two crucial free throws with about 1:30 remaining, and the Rockets capitalized with a quick basket to extend the lead to 115-111. From there, Houston never gave it back, securing a seven-point victory. The Rockets’ dominance on the boards proved decisive, outrebounding Milwaukee 50-27 and grabbing 20 offensive rebounds to just seven for the Bucks.
“I was frustrated when we were up 10… should have been 20. And we had a chance to put them away, and we didn’t, because of our self-inflicted wounds.” Rivers continued.
