Damian Lillard made a driving layup with 3.9 seconds left and was involved in the final seven points of the game as the Milwaukee Bucks won 101-100 over the Houston Rockets on Monday.
After Alperen Sengun (18 points, seven rebounds) put Houston ahead 100-94 with a tip-in at 1:58, Lillard made two free throws and then assisted AJ Green on a 3-pointer with 1:17 remaining. Lillard (18 points, 10 assists) hit the game-winning layup after Giannis Antetokounmpo blocked Sengun’s jumper with 19.1 seconds to go.
Brook Lopez led the Bucks with 27 points, including five 3-pointers, and added 10 rebounds and four blocks. Antetokounmpo finished with 20 points and 13 rebounds, helping Milwaukee end the Rockets’ five-game winning streak.
Fred VanVleet scored a team-high 26 points, including 17 in the third quarter, to bring Houston back from a 14-point deficit. VanVleet scored 12 straight points for the Rockets and assisted on a Sengun three-point play that cut Milwaukee’s lead to 83-80 by the end of the third quarter.
Jalen Green took over in the fourth, scoring 10 points — including two 3-pointers — to give the Rockets an 88-83 lead. Houston led by as much as seven points in the final period, but Lillard’s late heroics led Milwaukee to the win.
Green finished with 21 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter, and nine rebounds for Houston.
The Rockets got off to a strong start, scoring the first nine points and building a 13-point lead. Lopez sparked a Bucks comeback with his tip-in of Antetokounmpo’s missed free throw and two 3-pointers, cutting the deficit to 18-14. Lopez scored 13 points in the first quarter, and the Rockets held a 28-27 lead after the first.
In the second quarter, Bobby Portis hit the first of six 3-pointers for the Bucks, and Gary Trent Jr. added three more. Milwaukee stretched its lead to 48-38 with a jump hook from Antetokounmpo.
Lopez and Trent combined for 28 points in the first half, helping the Bucks take a 57-45 lead into the break. While the Bucks shot 11 of 23 from beyond the arc, the Rockets were 0-for-5 on 3-pointers and struggled with 26.9 percent shooting in the second quarter.
