HOUSTON, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Houston Rockets held off the Milwaukee Bucks 117-111 on Friday night at Toyota Center to claim their second consecutive home win.
The Rockets established an early double-digit advantage in the first quarter, leading 36-23 at the end of that quarter. The bucks woke up then and began launching fierce offenses, gradually cutting the deficit to eight points by halftime.
Houston were able to maintain the lead despite Milwaukee's hard efforts to erase it in the third quarter. The Rockets led 96-82 entering the final period.
The game became shaky for the Rockets then. The Bucks had a late comeback and quickly narrowed the gap. With less than 40 seconds remaining, the visiting team was only trailing by four. However, Houston did not make mistakes and managed to hold on to the final victory.
James Harden scored 33 points with five assists, and Trevor Ariza added 24 for the Rockets. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with a career-high 27 points and 15 rebounds. The loss ended Milwaukee's five-game winning streak.