HOUSTON _ Giannis Antetokounmpo put on an All-Star performance Wednesday night.
Too bad his teammates did not follow his example.
The 6-foot-11 Antetokounmpo tried to bring some life into a moribund Bucks team in the third quarter, but James Harden and the Houston Rockets pulled away for a 111-92 victory on Wednesday night at the Toyota Center.
Antetokounmpo finished with 32 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, and Jabari Parker added 15 points and seven rebounds. Michael Beasley had 14 off the bench for Milwaukee (20-21), which lost its third straight game.
Harden showed why he is the league's leading MVP candidate as he scored a game-high 38 points and added eight assists and six rebounds for Houston (33-12). Eric Gordon had 25 points and Montrezl Harrell added 12 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
The Bucks were outscored, 30-12, in the second quarter and trailed at halftime, 52-39.
They were still down 13 when Antetokounmpo blocked a shot by Harrell before going on a personal 8-0 run to cut the Bucks' deficit to 62-57.
But Houston answered with back-to-back threes by Harden and Gordon and two free throws by Harden to regain command.
The Rockets missed their first 11 3-point tries before finding the range and making 14 of 33 the rest of the way. They lead the league with an average of 40 attempts per game.
