Milwaukee Bucks fall to Houston Rockets 102-98

HOUSTON  — James Harden scored 30 points and the Houston Rockets snapped a two-game skid with a 102-98 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night.

The Rockets closed the third quarter with a 14-2 run to turn a one-point game into a double-digit lead entering the fourth.

They were up by 12 when the Bucks went on a 14-4 run, that started with consecutive dunks by Giannis Antetokounmpo and Michael Carter-Williams and ended with a 3-pointer by Khris Middleton, to cut the lead to 100-98 with 6.9 seconds left.

But Trevor Ariza made a pair of free throws after that to secure the victory.

Middleton and Greg Monroe scored 21 points each for the Bucks, whose three-game winning streak ended.

Ariza added 19 points for the Rockets, who were playing without Dwight Howard, who sat out after spraining his left ankle Wednesday night.