HOUSTON – On Tuesday, Feb. 25, the Houston Rockets hosted the Milwaukee Bucks for the second time this season.
After finding themselves in another close game, the Rockets locked up the Bucks in the fourth quarter, holding them to just 12 points in the period and holding on for a 100-97 victory.
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Milwaukee’s Damian Lillard had a chance to tie for the Bucks on the game’s final possession, but his shot was off the mark.
Jalen Green led the Rockets with 25 points, while Alperen Sengun was just behind him with 23. Giannis Antetokounmpo was the Bucks’ leading scorer, finishing with 27.
In the fourth quarter, Amen Thompson was ejected after being called for a flagrant 2 foul while defending Antetokounmpo.
Amen Thompson ejected for a Flagrant 2 on Giannis.
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) February 26, 2025
pic.twitter.com/1zjFTB52Q8
The incident was fairly clearly beyond the scope of a common foul, but Rockets’ fans were divided on whether or not the ejection was warranted.
After the game, KPRC 2′s Michael Horton asked Rockets’ head coach Ime Udoka if he agreed with the flagrant 2 being called, and he kept his answer short and simple: “Yes.”
This was Houston’s second and final matchup against Milwaukee this season. In their first bout back in November, the Bucks escaped with a 101-100 win at home.
The win lifts the Rockets to 36-22 on the season, where they sit at fifth place in the Western Conference.
Game recap
First quarter
Milwaukee’s Taurean Prince and Houston’s Tari Eason traded three-pointers to get the scoring going. From there, Alperen Sengun became the focal point of Houston’s offense, getting buckets from both the paint and the midrange.
Giannis Antetokounmpo slashed inside to draw a couple of early fouls, but the Rockets’ balanced scoring attack rained supreme in the game’s early stages. At the end of one, Houston held a 30-25 lead.
Second quarter
The Bucks came out swinging, starting the second quarter on an 7-0 scoring run from a pair of Kevin Porter Jr. dunks and a Kyle Kuzma three. This gave the Bucks a 32-30 lead, but the Rockets quickly regained their composure, and two-point baskets by Eason, Jabari Smith Jr., and Amen Thompson put them back in front. When Eason and Dillon Brooks connected on unanswered threes to make the score 44-36, the Bucks took a timeout.
Damian Lillard and Antetokounmpo started cooking out of the timeout. Giannis slashed inside for two dunks, and Lillard swished a couple of threes. Sengun and Green were able to keep Houston in front, but the Bucks seemed to inch closer to the lead with each passing possession. Antetokounmpo got the best of Sengun in the post to throw down yet another dunk to finally tie the score at 53.
With the score now knotted at 57 in the closing seconds, Lillard drove inside for a tough right-handed layup to give the Bucks the lead. Smith got a three-ball off at the buzzer, but it rimmed out. The Bucks led 59-57 at the half.
Antetokounmpo led all scorers in the first half with 15 points. Green was Houston’s leading scorer, heading into the break with 12 points on 5-of-12 shooting.
Third quarter
Giannis kept his foot on the gas to start the second half, scoring the Bucks’ first five points. As is the case for a vast majority of the NBA, he was clearly a matchup nightmare in the paint for Houston. When Brooks was left on an island on a driving Antetokounmpo, Sengun rushed inside for the double, leaving Brook Lopez wide open for a three, which he made. Brooks responded with a tough fadeaway jumper from the midrange on the other end. With the score tied at 70, Houston took a timeout.
That timeout was just what the doctor ordered for Houston, as the team broke out into an 8-0 scoring run after huddling up. Smith and Brooks converted on three-balls during that spurt. The Bucks responded very quickly, and back-to-back triples from AJ Green helped Milwaukee gain an 83-81 lead.
Fourth quarter
The high-scoring action of the first three periods slowed down in the early minutes of the fourth, as neither team scored in the first 90 seconds. Sengun broke the dry spell when he rebounded his own miss and threw down a dunk. The two defenses continued to battle it out, but Green and Eason were able to extend Houston’s lead to 92-85 with just seven minutes to play. Attempting to end the Rockets’ run, the Bucks subbed back in their two stars: Antetokounmpo and Lillard.
The Bucks did not score a point in the first five minutes and 58 seconds of the quarter. Dame quickly broke that streak with two free throws and a three pointer to bring the Bucks back within two.
On Milwaukee’s next possession, Giannis got the ball in the paint, and a jumping Thompson attempted to block the shot from behind. While Thompson was in the air, he grabbed Antetokounmpo neck from behind and pulled him down backwards. Thompson was assessed a flagrant 2 foul and ejected from the game. Giannis made one of his two free throws, and the Rockets led 92-91.
With just over two minutes on the clock, Antetokounmpo buried two free throws to tie the game at 95. On Houston’s next possession, Sengun went 1-of-2 from the charity stripe to give Houston a 1-point lead. With 34 seconds left, Lillard missed a deep three and Senun grabbed the rebound and was fouled. He made both at the line, and Houston led 98-95 with 30.1 seconds left.
On Milwaukee’s next possession, Lopez took an extremely deep three, which rimmed out. Green got the rebound and moved up the court quickly on the fast break. An errant pass from Sengun caused a turnover, and the Bucks had new life with 12 seconds remaining.
Giannis got free inside and threw down a dunk to bring the Bucks within one. Green was immediately fouled, and he swished both at the line. With a fresh three-point deficit, Milwaukee had another chance.
The Rockets still had a foul to give, so Eason wrapped up Lillard with six seconds remaining. Lillard got the ball again and was fouled, and he heaved the ball from beyond half court in an attempt to draw a shooting foul. He protested, but the referees called it a foul on the floor, so he had just two free throw attempts rather than three.
Lillard missed his first free throw. On the second attempt, he was called for a lane violation, resulting in a jump ball at half court. Lillard corralled the ball after the Bucks secured the tip, and he shot a buzzer-beating three, but it rimmed out. The Rockets held on for the 100-97 win.
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