FILE – Kevin Porter Jr. #3 of the Houston Rockets looks on during the third quarter of a game against the Golden State Warriors at the Toyota Center on March 17, 2021 in Houston, Texas. Carmen Mandato/Getty Images/AFP
Kevin Porter Jr. scored a career-high 50 points and was one of three Houston Rockets to post double-doubles in a shocking 143-136 victory over the visiting Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday.
Porter added 11 assists to his dazzling statistical line, reaching 50 points on a free throw with 20.9 seconds left.
The Rockets erased a 17-point deficit and held firm when the Bucks seized the lead early in the fourth quarter, pulling even at 125-125 on a Porter three-point play at the 5:01 mark and then pulling away after Porter added back-to-back 3-pointers in 58 seconds.
COOL @Kevinporterjr OFF!
50 PTS | 11 AST | 9 3PM
🎥: @HoustonRockets https://t.co/Kv2cStTalp
— NBA (@NBA) April 30, 2021
But Porter wasn’t alone as the Rockets, who had dropped 10 of 11 games, torched the Bucks’ highly rated defense. Christian Wood added 31 points and nine rebounds while Kelly Olynyk paired 24 points with 13 rebounds.
D.J. Wilson, acquired from Milwaukee in the deal that sent P.J. Tucker to the Bucks at the trade deadline, added 15 points and 12 rebounds off the bench.
Led by Porter, who hit 9 of 15 from deep, the Rockets finished 25 of 46 on 3-pointers.
Khris Middleton led the Bucks with 33 points while Bryn Forbes added 30 on 6-of-10 3-point shooting off the bench.
Jrue Holiday tallied 29 points and 10 assists for Milwaukee, which lost two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo to a right ankle sprain early in the first quarter.
🚀 50 PTS (career high) for KPJ
🚀 11 AST
🚀 9 3PM (career high)
🚀 @HoustonRockets W@Kevinporterjr becomes the YOUNGEST PLAYER in NBA history with 50+ POINTS and 10+ ASSISTS in a game! pic.twitter.com/l0kMbPNNuJ— NBA (@NBA) April 30, 2021
Despite losing Antetokounmpo one minute into the game, the Bucks turned an 11-0 run into a 23-10 lead.
Forbes closed the first quarter with nine points to pace a balanced attack sans Antetokounmpo, with three others chipping in six points apiece.
Milwaukee seemed poised to run away and hide in the second quarter, extending to a 69-52 lead before the Rockets mounted a surprising comeback.
Olynyk and Wood combined to score all 10 points in a 10-2 run that closed the half, with both stroking 3-pointers during the rally.
The Bucks led 73-65 at the break by virtue of shooting 55.1 percent in the first half, including a sizzling 11 of 20 from behind the arc.
But Porter and Wood combined for 37 points prior to the break, setting the stage for their explosive third quarter, one the Rockets started with a 20-6 blitz.