The Houston Rockets traveled to Milwaukee on Monday evening. They were looking to extend their win streak to six against arguably their best opponent this season in Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks.

Houston came out of the gate hot, taking an early 10-point lead in the first quarter after a great team effort on defense against Milwaukee.

However, the Bucks got going in the second quarter, riding the hot hands of center Brook Lopez and guard Gary Trent Jr., who both drained threes to give Milwaukee a 57-45 lead at the end of the first half.

However, the Rockets were not eliminated yet.

Veteran guard Fred VanVleet came out in the third quarter, consistently hitting hard buckets around the rim and making timely three-point shots to keep Houston in the game. His play in the third brought the team back, as it trailed by only three after three quarters.

Crunch time, however, belonged to star guard Jalen Green.

He put on a show, making multiple acrobatic layups as the defense fell over him. Green’s excellent play throughout the fourth gave the Rockets a four-point lead over the Bucks with just over three minutes remaining.

But despite the best efforts of VanVleet and Green, it was superstar guard Damian Lillard who effectively ended this game. Down just one point with less than 20 seconds left, Milwaukee put the ball in Lillard’s. He then drove down the lane into the paint and threw a finger roll.

After hitting the backboard, the ball hit the hoop with just three seconds left, giving the Bucks a one-point lead.

The Rockets tried to set up an inbound play to center Alperen Şengün, but he couldn’t handle the pass and that was the ball game.

Milwaukee defeated Houston 101-100. VanVleet’s 26 points weren’t enough to push the Rockets over the Bucks.

Houston now gets a chance to avenge that loss on Wednesday against the Indiana Pacers at the Toyota Center.

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