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 Forward Trevor Ariza sank two free throws with 4.3 seconds left, and
with Smith showcasing his versatility, the Houston Rockets held on
for a 102-98 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night at
Toyota Center.
Ariza finished with 19 points and matched his season high with five
3-pointers while guard James Harden added a game-high 30 points plus
eight assists. And despite missing 9 of 10 shots Smith made his
mark, totaling six assists, five rebounds, three blocks and two
steals in 21 minutes after arriving at the arena less than two hours
before tipoff.
"I'm definitely a little rusty but it felt natural out there," Smith
said. "It felt natural being around my teammates and being able to
play in the same system.
"I felt good, I felt comfortable out there. I made mistakes but with
timing those will be corrected."
Smith wasn't alone in providing the Rockets (23-22) bench
production. Forward Terrence Jones (14 points, eight rebounds, four
blocks) and guards Ty Lawson (11 points) and Marcus Thornton (10)
helped Houston reserves outpace the Bucks' four-man bench unit
37-16.
Houston hit 15 of 44 3-pointers and Smith proved integral in
creating open shots with his pinpoint passing. With the Rockets
hamstrung by frontcourt injuries, notably center Dwight Howard and
forward/center Donatas Motiejunas, Smith fills a void. But even when
healthy the Rockets lacked the skillful passing Smith provides as a
big in their offense.
"It changes everything," Harden said of having Smith back. "The cuts
are available. Better shots, open shots, easier shots, similar to
last year."
Milwaukee, league leaders in points in the paint, bludgeoned Houston
inside 58-42. Center Greg Monroe had 21 points and nine boards while
forward Giannis Antetokounmpo added 18 points, but aside from guard
Khris Middleton, who scored 21 and hit his lone 3 with 6.9 seconds
left to cut the deficit to 100-98, the Bucks did damage on the
interior. They hit 3 of 14 treys and their starting forwards did not
attempt a 3-pointer.
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The Bucks' early dominance in the paint -- they outscored Houston
20-10 there in the first quarter -- came as no surprise, nor was the
scoring Middleton provided late in the opening period. He closed the
first with nine points to help shave an 11-point deficit to 31-28
entering the second, and when reserve guard Rashad Vaughn drilled a
3 with 10:49 left in the first half, the Bucks (19-26) grabbed their
first lead at 33-31.
Nine seconds later, the Rockets pulled even, with swingman Corey
Brewer igniting a 13-0 run with a twisting layup. That burst was the
first of several for Houston, which repeatedly answered Bucks
rallies with runs of their own. Harden keyed the surge in the second
by contributing in transition, at the free-throw line, and behind
the arc.
"We really lost guys at the free-throw line and I think they got a
lot of open 3s in transition," Monroe said. "They got us in
rotations and also a lot of second-chance points (20)."
When the Bucks blitzed Houston with a 15-4 run that opened the third
and sliced the deficit to 61-60, the Rockets responded. Ariza buried
consecutive 3s to rebuild the lead to 71-64 before Houston scored 10
consecutive points bridging the third and fourth periods, opening
its largest lead at 81-66 when Smith converted a layup with 11:48 to
play.
"They shot a lot of 3s and made a few that really helped them
stretch out their lead," Bucks forward Jabari Parker said. "We kept
playing from behind and were playing catch-up, and that really hurt
us."
(Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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