Alperen Sengun’s 21 points spearheaded the Houston Rockets’ 112-108 win against the Milwaukee Bucks, despite a 48-point performance from Giannis Antetokounmpo during Saturday’s NBA action.
Antetokounmpo, who shot 16-25 and grabbed 17 rebounds for his seventh consecutive double-double, couldn’t prevent the Bucks from their third loss in four games since the start of 2024. He expressed a need for overall improvement.
“We have to be better. We have to play better, we have to defend better, we have to trust one another better, we have to be coached better,” Antetokounmpo said. “Every single thing, everybody has to be better. It starts from the equipment manager — he has to wash our clothes better.
“The bench has to be better, the leaders of the team have to be more vocal, we have to make more shots, we have to defend better, we have to have a better strategy, we have to be better,” Antetokounpmo continued. “We have four months to get better, so we’ll see.”
Jalen Green contributed 16 points to Houston’s win, while Fred VanVleet had 14 points and seven assists. Jabari Smith Jr. also significantly impacted with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
NBA NEWS & SCORES: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks, Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets Updates
The Rockets held a commanding 89-73 lead entering the fourth quarter. In a rare off-night, Damian Lillard scored 18 points and nine assists but struggled with his shooting. Bucks coach Adrian Griffin acknowledged the team’s collective responsibility for the loss, saying, “They did a good job defensively.”
Khris Middleton added 10 points for the Bucks. Houston’s bench, led by veteran Jeff Green’s season-high 16 points and contributions from Cam Whitmore and Aaron Holiday, outscored Milwaukee’s reserves 43-22.
NBA NEWS & SCORES: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks, Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets Updates
Sengun praised the Rockets’ defensive efforts, stating, “We did everything to stop them except Giannis.”
“We played as hard as we can,” Sengun said. “They’re a really good team. We did everything to stop them except Giannis. He played a great game, but we guarded everybody else good so we won the game.”
The Rockets established an early lead with a 13-0 run to end the first quarter, leading 29-16. They extended their advantage with a strong finish to the first half, taking a 63-43 lead into the break.
NBA NEWS & SCORES: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks, Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets Updates
Rockets coach Ime Udoka commented on the strategy against Antetokounmpo, saying, “We can live with one guy going off as long as we keep everybody else under wraps.”
“He’s a hard guard,” Udoka said. “We can live with one guy going off as long as we keep everybody else under wraps. Giannis is a tough one. You’ve got to pick your poison at times. We’ve shown this year that when we go after everybody else and let one guy loose, we have good results.”
Looking ahead, the Bucks will host the Utah Jazz, while the Rockets visit the Miami Heat on Monday night.
