Fred VanVleet scored 24 points and Amen Thompson added 23 as the Houston Rockets remained undefeated with a 132-100 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night at Fiserv Forum.
Houston improved to 5-0 with its fifth consecutive win to open the season, overcoming the absence of leading scorer Alperen Sengun, who sat out with low back soreness. Milwaukee fell to 1-4 after losing by 32 points on its home floor.
The Rockets took control in the second quarter, outscoring the Bucks 34-14 to build a 57-35 halftime advantage. Houston scored the first eight points of the period to move ahead 31-21, and Clint Capela’s tip-in later extended the lead to 49-30.
Milwaukee struggled from long range early, making just four of 24 three-point attempts in the first half. Houston, meanwhile, went 13-for-15 at the free-throw line before the break.
VanVleet delivered his strongest stretch midway through the third quarter, scoring 15 consecutive points for Houston. He hit three free throws during the run to give the Rockets an 81-61 lead. VanVleet finished 7-for-14 from the field and 4-for-9 from beyond the arc, marking a productive performance after missing the entire previous season with a torn ACL.
Thompson shot 10-for-16 from the field and added four rebounds and three assists. Kevin Durant contributed 18 points, five rebounds and four assists, while Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 16 points in just 15 minutes, making four of his five three-point attempts.
Capela added 10 points and eight rebounds off the bench. Houston shot 54.8% from the field and made 23 of 26 free throws, finishing with 27 assists and 12 turnovers.
Tyler Herro led Milwaukee with 23 points on 9-for-13 shooting, including four three-pointers. Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 19 points, while Nate Ament scored eight off the bench. The Bucks shot 40% overall and 29.3% from three-point range, making 12 of 41 attempts.
Houston played without Steven Adams, who was sidelined by a right calf strain, while Marcus Smart missed his third straight game with a left forearm strain.
The Rockets visit Dallas on Friday for an NBA Cup game. Milwaukee returns home Saturday to host Cleveland.
