NBA Lonestar Teams Come Up Short

Rockets fall to Bucks

MILWAUKEE (AP) _ A pair of top NBA teams did battle in Milwaukee with the Bucks coming out on top of the visiting Houston Rockets 108-94 Tuesday night.

Eric Bledsoe scored 23 points, including 16 in a decisive third quarter. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 19 points and 14 rebounds for Milwaukee, which improved to an NBA-best 56-19.

James Harden had 23 and Chris Paul 19 for Houston, which lost for just the third time in 17 games. Harden made just 9-of-26 shots, including 1-of-9 from three-point range with Bledsoe closely guarding him throughout most of the game.

After a tightly contested first half, the Bucks grabbed control in the third, sparked by Bledsoe’s clutch shooting. Leading by five at the half, Milwaukee
built a 19-point lead in the third. Bledsoe made 4-of-5 3-pointers in the third after missing his only two attempts in the first half. Bledsoe’s third-quarter output nearly matched the 18 points scored by Houston in the period.

Milwaukee held the Rockets at bay for most of the final quarter, maintaining a comfortable double-digit lead throughout before clearing the bench with about one minute left.

Charlotte Edges San Antonio in Overtime

Kemba Walker had 11 of his 38 points in overtime, and the Charlotte Hornets beat the San Antonio Spurs 125-116 Tuesday night to stretch their season-long winning streak to four games. It was Charlotte’s first overtime win of the season in five tries. The Spurs entered the game tied with Oklahoma City for the seventh-best record in the West.

Sacramento Spoils Doncic’s Triple-Double

De’Aaron Fox scored 23 points, including a crucial basket to help Sacramento stay in front in the final minute, and the Kings beat the Dallas Mavericks 125-121 on Tuesday night. Dallas rookie sensation Luka Doncic tied Magic Johnson with his seventh triple-double in his first season, getting 28 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists. It’s the third-most triple-doubles by a rookie. Dirk Nowitzki, in a record 21st season with the same franchise, didn’t play in the second half.

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