Giannis Triple-Doubles as Bucks Beat Harden, Rockets in Westbrook's HOU Debut
Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks have the Houston Rockets' number.
After sweeping the season series in 2018-19, Milwaukee started the 2019-20 campaign with a 117-111 victory on Thursday at the Toyota Center. Antetokounmpo kicked off his MVP defense against a fellow contender in James Harden by spearheading a comeback and putting his teammates in position to finish the win after he fouled out.
As for the Rockets, they may need some time for Harden and Russell Westbrook to get accustomed to playing together again but still figure to be on the short list of championship contenders in the Western Conference.
Notable Player Stats
- MIL Giannis Antetokounmpo: 30 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists on 11-of-17 shooting from the field
- MIL Ersan Ilyasova: 13 points and 11 rebounds on 6-of-8 shooting from the field
- HOU James Harden: 19 points, 14 assists, seven rebounds and seven turnovers on 2-of-13 shooting from the field and 1-of-8 from three-point range
- HOU Russell Westbrook: 24 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists and three turnovers on 7-of-17 shooting from the field and 3-of-7 from three-point range
Giannis Shows He’s Ready to Take Over East
Milwaukee trailed throughout the majority of the game and found itself behind by 16 at the half.
No matter.
Antetokounmpo went into takeover mode in the fourth quarter, handling the ball, hitting from midrange, facilitating for his teammates when double-teams came his way and attacking the rim with an unmatched combination of physicality, grace and length.
Houston had no answers and couldn’t even take advantage when it was bailed out by the reigning MVP fouling out with Milwaukee nursing a six-point lead with less than six minutes remaining. The Bucks answered questions about their depth by holding off Harden and Westbrook without their own best player, as Brook Lopez and Ersan Ilyasova hit clutch shots.
Still, Antetokounmpo was the story and set the table for another dominant run with even higher stakes.
He has another year of experience under his belt after leading the Bucks to the most regular-season wins in the league in 2018-19, and Kawhi Leonard is no longer standing in his way in the Eastern Conference.
It’s NBA Finals or bust for Milwaukee this season, and the king of the East is the perfect player to deliver on those expectations.
The Harden and Westbrook Tandem Will Be Just Fine
How well Westbrook and Harden work together is one of the biggest storylines of the NBA season, especially in a Western Conference that is up for grabs with the Golden State Warriors no longer an unbeatable machine.
Saying there is just one ball isn’t as much of a cliche when Harden led the league in usage rate among players who appeared in more than 50 games last season and Westbrook was 10th, per NBA.com. It also isn’t the same as when they played together on the Oklahoma City Thunder because Harden was a secondary playmaker instead of an MVP candidate.
The first game brought some growing pains.
Both struggled with shooting and turnovers for stretches as they adjusted, although Westbrook found his touch by the fourth quarter. Harden forced the issue at times and couldn’t match Antetokounmpo when the game was hanging in the balance.
Fortunately for the Rockets, the sheer attention they each draw created open looks for teammates throughout the game.
Whether it was Clint Capela at the rim or PJ Tucker and Eric Gordon on the wing, Milwaukee couldn’t account for the other options while also devoting additional attention to the primary ball-handlers. Harden’s track record suggests he will be much more efficient shooting the ball throughout the season, and the wins will come if the assist numbers stay what they were Thursday.
Every opponent isn’t going to have an Antetokounmpo to make Houston pay for every mistake.
What’s Next?
Both teams are home Saturday. Houston faces the New Orleans Pelicans, while Milwaukee squares off with the Miami Heat.
