Make it 5-0. Fred VanVleet scored 24 points, Amen Thompson added 23, and the Houston Rockets ran the Milwaukee Bucks out of Fiserv Forum 132-100 on Wednesday night to stay unbeaten, even without leading scorer Alperen Sengun.
VanVleet hit 7 of 14 shots, 4 of 9 from three and all six of his free throws, with six rebounds, five assists and a plus-19 in 29 minutes. Thompson went 10-of-16, and Houston shot 54.8% from the field.
VanVleet’s Third-Quarter Explosion
Houston already led 57-35 at the half, but VanVleet made sure Milwaukee never got close. Midway through the third quarter he scored 15 straight Rockets points in a span of just over three minutes, per the ESPN play-by-play: a 24-foot three at 7:26, a pull-up jumper off a Clint Capela feed, another pull-up, a second three, a step-back jumper and, at the 4:18 mark, three free throws after being fouled on a three-point attempt. Those free throws made it 81-61.
The Rockets scored 38 points in the period and took a 95-69 lead into the fourth. VanVleet, who missed all of last season with a torn ACL, finished with 15 of his 24 in the third.
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Sengun Sits, Depth Delivers
Sengun, who came in averaging 24.5 points per game, sat out with low back soreness, according to the Associated Press. Steven Adams (right calf strain) and Marcus Smart (left forearm strain) were also out.
It didn’t matter. Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 16 points in 15 minutes off the bench on 5-of-6 shooting, 4 of 5 from three. Capela filled in at center with 10 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two blocks on 5-of-6 shooting, and Oscar Tshiebwe added seven points and five rebounds on 3-of-3. Kevin Durant had 18 points, five rebounds, four assists and three blocks in 31 minutes, and Jabari Smith Jr. scored 14 with three threes and a team-best plus-23 (tied with Capela and Bogdanovic). Reed Sheppard had seven points and four assists, and Tari Eason added five points and nine rebounds.
Second Quarter Set It Up
Houston led 23-21 after one, then outscored Milwaukee 34-14 in the second quarter. The Rockets scored the first eight points of the period, and the Bucks went 4-of-24 from three in the first half.
For the night, Houston made 46 of 84 shots, 17 of 38 threes and 23 of 26 free throws, with 25 assists, 12 steals and 10 blocks. Milwaukee shot 40.2% (37-of-92) and 12-of-41 from deep, with 16 turnovers.
Tyler Herro led the Bucks (1-4) with 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting, and Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 19.
Box Score Leaders
- Fred VanVleet: 24 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists
- Amen Thompson: 23 points (10-16 FG)
- Kevin Durant: 18 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks
- Bogdan Bogdanovic: 16 points (4-5 3PT) off the bench
- Jabari Smith Jr.: 14 points, +23
- Bucks: Tyler Herro 23 points, Jaime Jaquez Jr. 19
Up Next
The Rockets (5-0, 3-0 on the road) visit Dallas on Friday in NBA Cup play. And if Houston keeps winning games like this one by 30, Durant’s fourth quarters will keep happening on the bench, and he’ll have all the fresh legs he wants by the time the playoffs come around.
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