HOUSTON -- With Giannis Antetokounmpo lifting the Milwaukee Bucks into contention seemingly whenever the mood struck, the Houston Rockets were in need of more than their exceptional perimeter shooting to shake from their recent doldrums.

When the shots started to fall late, that was a welcome development for Houston as well.

James Harden and Eric Gordon keyed a fourth-quarter shooting exhibition that, combined with some earlier defensive vigor, carried the Rockets to a 111-92 win over the Bucks on Wednesday night at Toyota Center.

The Rockets (33-12) silenced the Bucks for good with four consecutive 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, extending a seven-point lead to a 98-79. Trevor Ariza began the surge before Harden hit two treys and Gordon capped the deluge.

Gordon added another 3-pointer with 3:26 left, finishing with 25 points on 7-for-17 3-point shooting off the bench. He was 9 of 20 from the floor overall. Harden amassed 38 points, eight assists and six rebounds.

Houston shot 6 of 10 from behind the arc in the final period to improve to 10-1 in the second game of back-to-backs and 11-1 following a loss. With the league-leading Golden State Warriors paying a visit on Friday, the effort proved timely.

"Obviously, we get a big test on Friday," Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni said, "but we're ready to see how good we are."

Antetokounmpo was dynamic, posting 32 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and three blocks to pace Milwaukee (20-21), which dropped a third consecutive game for the third time this season. Jabari Parker scored 15 points on 5-of-15 shooting, and Michael Beasley added 14 points for Milwaukee.

Excluding Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee struggled to consistently generate offense following a promising first quarter that yielded 24 points in the paint. The Bucks added just 30 additional points in the paint over the final three periods.

"Obviously, offensively we needed a little more, and defensively we did a good job in the third quarter in guarding the 3," Antetokounmpo said. "They took a lot of shots and we got close, and then in the fourth quarter they hit six threes and they got away again."

Antetokounmpo was instrumental in that initial surge in the opening quarter, scoring three baskets at the rim while the Bucks pushed to a 14-6 lead. He tallied the team's final three baskets in the period as well, following a pair of dunks with a driving layup that lifted Milwaukee to a 27-22 lead entering the second quarter.

The Bucks' offense dried up in the second following a gorgeous spin move by Antetokounmpo at the 7:38 mark. The Rockets countered with an 18-0 run, with Gordon sinking a pair of 3-pointers and Harden capping the blitz with consecutive driving layups.

Milwaukee shot just 3 of 21 (14.3 percent) in the second quarter, with Houston relying on dogged effort to combat the Bucks' clear advantage in size and length.

"We had to be scrappy tonight," Harden said. "Patrick (Beverley) did a really good job, especially when he switched on Jabari Parker and Giannis and he fought those guys. We were active with our hands. Early we gave up some offensive rebounds and we started gang rebounding. And we made shots. That was it."

Milwaukee made just one field goal over the second half of the second quarter as Houston closed the half on a 23-7 run for a 52-39 lead at the intermission. That Houston led by 13 at the break despite shooting 4 of 20 on 3-pointers spoke to its handiwork elsewhere. And after Antetokounmpo caught fire again in the third quarter, scoring 10 points during a 14-3 Bucks run that cut the deficit to 62-57, the Rockets had Harden and Gordon to thank for reclaiming control of the game.

"They played harder than us," Bucks coach Jason Kidd said. "Anytime in this league when someone played harder than you, it's going to be hard to win. You have to give Houston credit: They played last night in Miami and came out here and hit us first. Their intent was to be aggressive early, and they won that battle."

NOTES: Rockets F Ryan Anderson was sidelined for a second consecutive game due to the flu. Anderson missed his first game of the season on Tuesday night, a 109-103 loss in Miami against the Heat. G/F Corey Brewer made the start for Anderson on Wednesday and scored two points. ... The NBA is set to announce starters for the All-Star Game on Thursday, and Bucks F Giannis Antetokounmpo is poised to earn his first career nod. Voting closed on Monday, and in the last voting update, Antetokounmpo was second to Cavaliers F LeBron James among Eastern Conference frontcourt players with 963,110 votes. ... Rockets C Clint Capela returned from a 15-game injury hiatus on Tuesday but was not in the starting lineup against the Bucks. He scored five points in 11 minutes Wednesday. Capela will play on a minute restriction for the foreseeable future. Montrezl Harrell made the start and scored 12 points.