Houston keeps finding new ways to win. Playing without leading scorer Alperen Sengun, who sat out with a sore lower back, the Rockets went into Milwaukee on Wednesday night and left with a 132-100 rout that lifted them to 5-0 and kept them on top of the Western Conference.
The opening quarter gave no hint of what was coming, with Houston ahead only 23-21. Then the visitors won the second period 34-14 to open a 57-35 lead at the break, and the gap kept growing until it peaked at 35 points.
Fred VanVleet set the pace with 24 points on 7-of-14 shooting, four of them from deep, and he did not miss a free throw. Midway through the third quarter the guard produced a personal 15-0 burst. Amen Thompson chipped in 23 points and Kevin Durant 18. Bogdan Bogdanovic gave the bench a jolt with 16 points in barely a quarter of an hour of court time, hitting four of five threes, while Clint Capela added 10 points and eight rebounds.
The shooting chart told the story. Houston converted almost 55 percent of its attempts, Milwaukee under 40, and the Rockets’ defence piled up a dozen steals and ten blocked shots. Tyler Herro, with 23, and Jaime Jaquez Jr., with 19, were the only Bucks who found any rhythm.
Milwaukee drops to 1-4 and sits 13th in the East, with Cleveland visiting on Saturday. For Houston, the bigger takeaway is depth: five players reached double figures and the reserves produced 48 points, proof that this unbeaten start does not depend on one star.
