The Milwaukee Bucks split their season series with the Houston Rockets, losing 97-92 at the Toyota Center on Sunday night. The Bucks fell to 19-7 while the Rockets improved to 8-18.

It was the fourth time this season the Bucks scored fewer than 100 points, and they fell to 1-3 in those games.

“We didn’t play well but effort – you hold a team to 97 points in today’s NBA, you’re playing defense,” Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said of his team. “They were working. They were working offensively. So no, some nights you just don’t play well, some nights you don’t execute, the other team deserves credit. No, our effort was very good. Our defense – again 97 points is enough – you should be able to win a game at that number.”

The Rockets were without head coach Stephen Silas as his father, Paul, died Saturday at the age of 79. Paul Silas won three titles as a player and won 387 games as a head coach for four franchises.

Here are some takeaways from the game:

Bucks have a letdown as youthful Rockets close it out

Sunday’s game against one of the worst teams in the NBA would seem like the perfect place for a letdown for the Bucks, especially after a taut 106-105 victory over the Dallas Mavericks late on Friday night.

But Giannis Antetokounmpo didn’t have the greatest of games against a physical Mavericks defense, and it appeared he might take it out on the youthful Rockets on Sunday night, opening the game with three ferocious dunks as the Bucks raced out to an early lead. But, the Rockets did a good job crowding him from there as Antetokounmpo finished with only 16 points on 7-of-17 shooting.

It matched the lowest scoring output of the season for Antetokounmpo.

The Bucks haven’t had many of those games this season – in fact this was probably just their second. The first also occurred in the state of Texas after a tough road win, when they lost 111-93 to San Antonio two days after a double overtime victory in Oklahoma City.

The Bucks have played similar teams to the Rockets already this season in Detroit, Oklahoma City, San Antonio and Orlando where the roster is littered with talented – but very young – first round picks. Including the first game against the Rockets this season, the Bucks entered Sunday night 6-1 against those teams. Which, they should be, as those five teams had a combined 40-92 record starting Sunday’s action.

But it doesn’t mean it’s always been easy for the veteran-laden title contenders, as there is something to be said for exuberance and young legs. The Bucks lost to the Spurs, won one Pistons game by two points, one Thunder game in double overtime and the Magic was within a point late in the game.

Houston made them work, led by second-year guard Jalen Green (30 points). Second-year center Alperen Şengün and rookie forward Jabari Smith Jr. were held to a combined 14 points but helped make life difficult for Antetokounmpo. And while 10 different Rockets scored, they made just 22.2% of their three-pointers and only three players reached double figures. They won the game thanks to some poor offensive execution by the Bucks and scoring 18 points off 16 Bucks turnovers and 12 points off 10 offensive rebounds.

“I think we just beat ourselves tonight,” Bobby Portis said. “We had a lot of turnovers. I think it was more us than them. Kind of lackadaisical to start the game and it carried over throughout the rest of the game.

"Then we got up a little bit in the fourth quarter and then we got comfortable and we should have put them away when we had a chance to and we didn’t. We let them stay around, hang around and that’s what happens in this league when you let teams hang around.

"They get a good groove with confidence and they feel like they can compete with you and they steal one and that will happen.”

By being able to stick close to the Bucks throughout – and then riding the emotional waves of a home crowd reacting off big dunks and a head coach dealing with the loss of his father – the Rockets were able to do what the Bucks couldn't in closing it out.

“When you’re a young, rebuilding team – I’ve played on rebuilding teams – you play against the Golden State’s of the world, the Milwaukee Bucks of the world, the Boston Celtics, when I was on those type of teams as young guy, as a young team, those are games that you kind of get up for,” Portis said. “You ‘re trying to find an identity as a team and see how you stack up against those teams and you want to play your best against those teams. That’s what they did. They stole one from us.

"We should have put them away when we had a chance to. Definitely a bad loss. It hurts for sure, knowing that we could’ve just won the game. But at midnight it’s going to be over. Let it go. Move on to Tuesday. Got a big game coming in, defending NBA champions are coming into our crib so we have to shift our focus to that. But definitely we have a lot of things we can clean up from tonight.”

Jrue Holiday agreed with his teammate, noting the Bucks can take some lessons from the loss.

“I think it’s a good test for us, to be able to be in situations like this where we’re up eight in the fourth or whatever the case might be, or even up 12 at the start of the game and try to really capitalize from there," Holiday said. "I think that is a good test. Something we can go back and look on, where we just gotta come down and execute, control the game better, slow it down a little bit possession by possession. Just maybe kind of slow it down, even after they score, get a good shot. The biggest thing I think in the fourth was those nine turnovers.”

Nickel column:Khris Middleton's flair as an exceptional passer goes back to when he was just a kid playing kids games

Bucks' last game:Brook Lopez hits game-winner in the final seconds for Milwaukee in a 106-105 win over Mavericks

A Twitter List by journalsentinel

Khris Middleton injures ankle

Khris Middleton played in his fifth game of the season Sunday night, and fourth straight, since making his season debut on Dec. 2. Unfortunately, the 31-year-old sprained his left ankle after just six minutes of play against the Rockets and was ruled out for the game.

He was 0 for 2 from the field.

Budenholzer didn’t want to provide a specific update on Middleton postgame, saying he still needed to check with the medical staff.

“He should be fine. It’s a couple of very minor things. Hopefully he’ll be fine.”

Holiday said Middleton seemed to be in an OK place after the game.

"I feel like this happens," Holiday said. "You see it time and time again where somebody’s injured and again, he’s coming back not in training camp where he kind of gets to take his time. Not that he was thrown into the fire – he prepared well and did everything he needed to – but his first game was what, Game 20, or something like that where we’re juiced and fired up and ready to go. I think that he’s smart, he’ll take care of his body and he’ll be alright.”

Prior to this new injury Middleton’s return had not been so much about whether his shots were falling or not, but the fact that he had been able to fit back in on the defensive side relatively seamlessly, set up offense at a high level and dive on the floor for loose balls without fear for his surgically repaired left wrist.

“In a strange way, I think lots of times that’s what we focus on as coaches,” Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said before the Rockets game. “We try and build a defensive identity, try and build a competitive spirit in our team and in our group and in our players. When Khris is doing those things early in his return to play, that’s what we need. When a leader and your top player and a guy that’s been with us for a long time is doing it, it’s really powerful for the whole roster. Anytime guys are showing that kind of competitiveness it’s a great sign.”

Joe Ingles is 'getting close' to Bucks debut

Joe Ingles was assigned to the Wisconsin Herd for the second time in three days on Saturday (along with MarJon Beauchamp and Jordan Nwora) to get some practice in as he continues to take steps toward a return from a torn left anterior cruciate ligament suffered in January.

Ingles first was assigned to the Herd on Dec. 8.

“Most importantly, it’s really exciting for Joe,” Budenholzer said. “Returning from an injury like this, and surgery, just the length of it, how long he’s been working to get to be able to play five-on-five and play basketball. So, really excited for him on an individual level. And for us as a team, the fact that he’s made this progression, he’s gotten to this point and really doing very, very well, is just exciting. The more good players we can have, the more guys like Joe we can add into the mix, it’s just going to make us a better team.”

Budenholzer said it’s fair to say that Ingles is getting close to a return, but that like Middleton, the ramp up to actual game play goes beyond just having a healthy knee and that getting his overall conditioning back is just as important.

Subscribe to our Milwaukee Bucks newsletter for updates on the team.

Five numbers

3-2 Bucks record with the Big Three played at least a few minutes together this season. They were 37-10 last season when Antetokounmpo, Middleton and Holiday played a few minutes together.

25.9 Three-point percentage for Pat Connaughton through his first 10 games this season. Connaughton is 15 for 58 after Sunday’s 1-for-6 showing.

56 Points in the paint by Houston, outscoring the Bucks by 20 in that area. The Rockets made it a point to pressure the rim with high flying dunks and extra effort second chances.

“They threw a lot of people in the paint,” Budenholzer said. “We didn’t shoot it well enough tonight. We got a lot of threes up (43). We like that. We think that’s good. Overall we think that’s going to be good for us in the long run. But tonight we weren’t able to make enough threes to take away their willingness to put multiple bodies and people in the paint.”

4/29/2021 The last time the Rockets beat the Bucks, also at the Toyota Center. Giannis Antetokounmpo got hurt a minute into the game and the Rockets’ Kevin Porter Jr. scored 50 points.

15,000 Career points Antetokounmpo reached when he scored his 10^th on Sunday. He became the 13^th active NBA player to reach the milestone, following Los Angeles’ Anthony Davis who did it earlier in the day. Antetokounmpo, already the Bucks’ all-time scoring leader, is the 146^th player in the history of the league to reach the 15,000-point mark.

Play of the game is Giannis putting two Rockets on a poster

Antetokounmpo dunked all over the Rockets in the opening going, but it's not often that a player can put two players on a poster in one moment -- but that's exactly what he did early in the first quarter. On a transition opportunity, Antetokounmpo slammed it home over feeble defensive attempts by Jalen Green and Alperen Şengün.

Video of the game is Jrue Holiday's spin and Bobby Portis' dunk

Jrue Holiday created a pretty assist with a spin move into the lane and a soft dump off to Bobby Portis, who finished the play with a dunk over Rockets big man Usman Garuba. Garuba challenged Portis late, and the Bucks' big man let Garuba know he put it down on his head afterward.

Bucks injury report

• Joe Ingles (left knee), out

• Wesley Matthews (health and safety protocols), out

Who do the Bucks play next?

The Bucks head home to take on the Golden State Warriors at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Fiserv Forum. The Warriors are not only the defending NBA championship, but are bringing in a whole crew of players with deep Milwaukee and Wisconsin ties. Milwaukee natives Kevon Looney and Jordan Poole are key contributors, while rookie Patrick Baldwin Jr. was the Warriors’ first-round draft pick out of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Former Bucks guard Donte DiVincenzo is also on the Warriors roster.

Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.

DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Khris Middleton injured his ankle and the Bucks lose 97-92 to Rockets