BUCKS DEFEAT ROCKETS

Rockets fall to Bucks as Lillard snaps Houston's win streak

Rockets Ime Udoka
Bucks defeat the Rockets, 101-100. Photo by Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images.

Damian Lillard hit a driving layup with 3.9 seconds left to give the Milwaukee Bucks a 101-100 victory over Houston that snapped the Rockets’ five-game winning streak Monday night.

Lillard scored 18 points after missing the previous three games while in the concussion protocol.

The Rockets rallied from a 14-point, third-quarter deficit to take the lead early in the fourth quarter and stayed ahead until Lillard’s decisive basket. Giannis Antetokounmpo blocked a shot by Houston's Alperen Sengun with 20 seconds left.

Houston called timeout after Lillard's layup. After the Bucks fouled with 2 seconds left, Houston’s Fred VanVleet tried inbounding the ball to Sengun, who couldn’t catch it cleanly under the basket. VanVleet unsuccessfully tried passing to Jabari Smith Jr. as the horn sounded.

Brook Lopez had 27 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks for Milwaukee. Antetokounmpo had 20 points and 14 rebounds.

VanVleet scored 26 points, Jalen Green 21 and Sengun 18 for Houston.

Takeaways

Rockets: One night after a 143-107 victory at Chicago in which they were one point shy of the NBA’s highest scoring total this season, the Rockets were held to their fewest points of the season.

Bucks: Since a 2-8 start, Milwaukee has won three of four. Lopez briefly went in the locker room after taking a hard fall early in the second quarter, but he returned later that period and delivered one of his best games of the season.

Key moment

The Bucks trailed 100-96 when A.J. Green buried a 3-pointer to cut the margin to one with 1:17 left.

Key stat

Houston shot just 9 of 32 on 3-pointers and had its lowest field-goal percentage (.400) of the season.

Up next

Both teams play Wednesday, with the Rockets hosting Indiana and the Bucks hosting Chicago.

Most Popular

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome

Listen Live

ESPN Houston 97.5 FM
The Angels beat the Astros, 4-1. Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images.

Oswald Peraza hit a two-run single in the ninth inning to help the Los Angeles Angels snap a three-game losing skid by beating the Houston Astros 4-1 on Saturday night.

Peraza entered the game as a defensive replacement in the seventh inning and hit a bases-loaded fly ball to deep right field that eluded the outstretched glove of Cam Smith. It was the fourth straight hit off Astros closer Bryan Abreu (3-4), who had not allowed a run in his previous 12 appearances.

The Angels third run of the ninth inning scored when Mike Trout walked with the bases loaded.

Kyle Hendricks allowed one run while scattering seven hits over six innings. He held the Astros to 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position, the one hit coming on Jesús Sánchez’s third-inning infield single that scored Jeremy Peña.

Reid Detmers worked around a leadoff walk to keep the Astros scoreless in the seventh, and José Fermin (3-2) retired the side in order in the eighth before Kenley Jansen worked a scoreless ninth to earn his 24th save.

Houston’s Spencer Arrighetti struck out a season-high eight batters over 6 1/3 innings. The only hit he allowed was Zach Neto’s third-inning solo home run.

Yordan Alvarez had two hits for the Astros, who remained three games ahead of Seattle for first place in the AL West.

Key moment

Peraza’s two-run single to deep right field that broke a 1-1 tie in the ninth.

Key Stat

Opponents were 5 for 44 against Abreu in August before he allowed four straight hits in the ninth.

Up next

Astros RHP Hunter Brown (10-6, 2.37 ERA) faces RHP José Soriano (9-9, 3.85) when the series continues Sunday.

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome