Giannis blasts off against Rockets with 41 points

HOUSTON • After scoring just 15 points in his previous game in the National Basketball Association (NBA), Giannis Antetokounmpo knew he had to buck up.

The Milwaukee Bucks star put on a one-man show on Friday night, claiming 41 points and grabbing 17 rebounds as his team cooled the red-hot Houston Rockets down with a 123-114 win.

The "Greek Freak" also had five assists, three steals and two blocked shots as the Bucks snapped the Rockets' winning streak at seven games to improve to 17-10. Houston dropped to 8-17.

"I was just looking to be aggressive, last game I wasn't as aggressive as I wanted," Antetokounmpo said, referring to the 113-104 loss to the Miami Heat on Wednesday.

He got plenty of support from his teammates, especially Khris Middleton and Bobby Portis, who each had 21 points and eight rebounds.

The Bucks extended their lead to seven points, 119-112, with 47 seconds left in the fourth when Antetokounmpo slammed a dunk home.

Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer said they know they can count on Antetokounmpo and Middleton down the stretch.

"When you have a good team and have players like that, you're fortunate to put the ball in their hands and let them make plays," he said.

Houston had not lost since ending a 15-game losing streak by beating the Chicago Bulls on Nov 24.

The Rockets led by 10 at one stage on Friday and hung around until the Bucks were able to pull away in the fourth.

Garrison Mathews finished with a team-high 23 points, including six three-pointers, as the Rockets made Milwaukee work for the win.

Christian Wood and Armoni Brooks chipped in 21 points apiece, with Wood also grabbing 13 rebounds. Rookie Alperen Sengun scored a career-high 15 points.

Elsewhere, LeBron James scored 33 points to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 116-95 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Avery Bradley scored 11 of his season-high 22 points in the third quarter for the Lakers.

The Thunder were their own worst enemy, missing their first 12 three-point attempts. Rookie Tre Mann scored a team-high 19 points.

"It's about the ball finding the open man," Lakers coach Frank Vogel said, with his team improving to 14-13 while Oklahoma City dropped to 8-17.

"Everybody out there can score, and I try to give a message that... it's going to come down to everyone trusting each other and not worrying about who's performing at a high level on a given night."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE