Houston Rockets (47-29) beat Milwaukee Bucks (30-46) 119-113 at home on Wednesday, April 1.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Rockets struck first, taking the opening quarter 27-20 and a 7-point lead after one. The Rockets kept the pressure on with a 27-24 second quarter, carrying a 10-point lead into halftime.
The Bucks won the third 34-31 to stay in front, taking a 7-point lead into the fourth. The Bucks took the fourth 35-34; the Rockets held on for a 119-113 regulation win.
What decided it
The Rockets took better care of the ball, turning it over on 7.6% of possessions compared with 15.6% for the Bucks. The Rockets made 21.8 free throws per 100 field-goal attempts, compared with 13.5 for the Bucks. Those extra possessions were crucial.
The Bucks did win one battle, second chances: ORB% of 33.3% against 28.6%. The Rockets made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 94 possessions per team, the Rockets produced 126.8 points per 100 possessions to 120.4 for the Bucks.
Who made the difference
Reed Sheppard was the game's biggest individual force for HOU: 27 pts, 4 reb, 6 ast on 9-15 shooting. His Game Score of 27.5 led everyone. His team was +17 with him on the floor.
Ousmane Dieng led the Bucks with 36 pts, 7 reb, 10 ast on 15-31 shooting, good for a 25.4 Game Score.
Ousmane Dieng (36 pts, 7 reb, 10 ast) recorded a double-double.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Rockets about a 88% chance.
Across the last 3 meetings in our records, Houston Rockets lead 2-1.
The Rockets are now 47-29, and the Bucks are 30-46. The Rockets last five before this game: L-L-W-W-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.