Despite Harden’s 42, Rockets’ Surge Slowed by Bucks, 116-109
Fear the Deer. The Worst Has Passed. Closing Strong.
The short-handed Rockets fought admirably, yet came up short to an elite Bucks team that exposed several Houston weaknesses en route to a 116-109 victory, at Toyota Center on Wednesday night. Giannis “The Greek Freak” Antetokounmpo was a beast all over the floor, despite not mashing once on the Rockets’ D (a rare feat for defense in today’s NBA, considering The Freak leads the league in dunks this season). Giannis showcased why he’s right in the thick of the discussion for MVP. The Freak finished with 27 points and 21 boards as the Rockets contained him but as a whole weren’t the better team on Wednesday (Although Houston still has CP3 and EG out, the Bucks are healthy). Milwaukee is one of the deepest teams in the league, one of the best shooting and defensive teams, all attributes they put on display in Houston. Malcolm Brogdon had another stellar game for the Bucks with 24 points, as he continues his breakout-season as an elite role player in the league. Khris Middleton scored 15 and Bledsoe chipped in with 10 among other resourceful Bucks. Milwaukee has a decent chance to win the Eastern Conference. They’re deep, they have the best player in the conference and Coach Bud has worked wonders in his first year with the Bucks. I still think they’ll come up short to Toronto or Boston, but Milwaukee will be a very tough out in the playoffs. The Bucks may not be as talented as the other three Eastern contenders: Toronto, Bosto, and Philly, but Milwaukee is deeper than any of those teams, plays harder, and has absolutely no chemistry issues, something that can’t be said about the other Eastern contenders.
Good news for Houston fans: the toughest part of the regular season has passed for the Rockets. Plenty of difficult games remain but this last 15-game stretch was by far the most difficult of the season. For the Rockets to finish 12-3 and have the majority of those games without Chris Paul, and many without Eric Gordon, among other injuries, speaks volumes to how well the team has played and is improving as the season moves along. Obviously, the Beard’s play has been the most contributing factor, but even Harden needs help against the league’s best. The Beard’s 42 points would have been enough against most teams during this stretch, but Milwaukee proved they are a force to be reckoned with in the East this year.
Up next Houston, the Rockets try and close the first half of the season on a positive note with a victory over the lowly Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs beat Houston earlier in one of the worst losses of the season for the Rockets. Revenge is in store for this game as the squad will try and go out and get the 24th win of the season. The Rockets are an entirely different team than when they first played the Cavs. So, Houston shouldn’t have any problems beating one of the worst teams in the NBA on Friday night at Toyota Center. It will be a nice way to close the first half of the season strong.