Houston @ Milwaukee preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 16, 2017 ) Milwaukee 111, Houston 115

The red-hot Houston Rockets take aim at their 17th consecutive victory when they visit the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday. Houston recorded a 122-112 road win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday and stands six victories shy of the franchise record 22-game winning streak from the 2007-08 season, which ranks fourth in NBA history.

The Western Conference-leading Rockets recorded their 50th victory of the campaign while going 17-of-33 from 3-point range against the Thunder and are eight wins shy of the franchise record (58-24 in 1993-94). MVP candidate James Harden had 23 points and 11 assists against Oklahoma City and has scored more than 20 points in each of the past six contests. Milwaukee lost 92-89 to the Indiana Pacers on Monday for its fifth setback in the past six games. Despite the slide, the Bucks are in seventh place in the Eastern Conference and five games clear of the ninth-place Detroit Pistons.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet Southwest (Houston), FS Wisconsin

ABOUT THE ROCKETS (50-13): Point guard Chris Paul scored 25 against the Thunder and broke out of a long-range shooting slump by going 5-of-6 from 3-point range. Paul was just 11-of-48 from behind the arc over the previous nine games and his shooting success came after he reported early for Tuesday's shootaround to get in some extra shooting with teammate Eric Gordon. "I just shoot it," Paul told reporters after the victory. "I've never shot this many 3s - the way Coach (Mike D'Antoni) encourages it is cool. But I can shoot."

ABOUT THE BUCKS (34-30): All-Star small forward Giannis Antetokounmpo has 19 30-point performances and his next one will make him the 10th player in franchise history to record 20 such efforts in a single season. Antetokounmpo posted 18 points and 12 rebounds in the loss to the Pacers for his 32nd double-double, which matches last season's career-best total. Swingman Khris Middleton will look to bounce back from a 1-of-7 shooting performance and is averaging just eight points on 6-of-21 shooting over the past two games.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Harden scored 31 points as the Rockets posted a 115-111 home win over the Bucks on Dec. 16.

2. Houston F Trevor Ariza has made at least three 3-pointers in each of the past six contests.

3. Milwaukee backup C Tyler Zeller (hip, back) is questionable after missing Monday's game.

PREDICTION: Rockets 122, Bucks 110