The Houston Rockets continued their impressive form with a hard-fought 119-113 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks at Toyota Center on Wednesday night. This win marks the Rockets’ fourth straight, improving their record to 47-29.

Rockets Surge Past Injury-Plagued Bucks

Houston faced a Milwaukee team significantly hampered by injuries. Despite this, the Bucks put up a strong fight, but the Rockets ultimately prevailed. The Rockets now hold a temporary half-game lead over the Minnesota Timberwolves for fifth place in the Western Conference.

Sheppard Shines with Career Night

Reed Sheppard was the driving force behind the Rockets’ success, scoring a team-high 27 points, along with four rebounds, six assists, and two steals. He was particularly lethal from beyond the arc, hitting a career-best 9 of 14 three-point attempts, with an average distance of 28 feet on his makes.

Alperen Sengun added 25 points and eight rebounds, shooting 9-for-13 from the field. The entire Rockets starting lineup contributed double-digit scoring, with Kevin Durant adding 19 points and a remarkable nine assists.

Key Stats and Game Flow

Despite being out-rebounded by the Bucks, the Rockets committed only seven turnovers and capitalized with 18 points off those turnovers. Houston also dominated the fast break, scoring 14 points to Milwaukee’s zero.

The first quarter saw the Rockets jump out to a 27-12 lead, fueled by Sheppard’s early three-pointers. Milwaukee responded with an 8-0 run before the quarter ended. The second quarter saw the Rockets extend their lead, with contributions from Josh Okogie and Amen Thompson, while Sheppard continued his hot streak from downtown. Houston led 54-44 at halftime.

The Rockets briefly increased their lead to 20 in the third quarter, but the Bucks battled back, cutting the deficit to seven points by the start of the fourth. Sengun experienced some discomfort in his back during the fourth quarter, briefly leaving the game before returning.

Close Finish at Toyota Center

Milwaukee continued to challenge in the fourth, narrowing the gap to six points with two minutes remaining. A late run by the Bucks brought them within four points, but a crucial euro-step bucket by Thompson extended the lead to six with 37 seconds left, securing the 119-113 victory.

The Rockets will look to extend their win streak to five games when they host the Utah Jazz on Friday night.

This article was written by Maanav Gupta, a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI and Houston Rockets on SI.