Rockets Cool Off in Milwaukee, Fall to Bucks, 108-94
Teachable Moment. Icy Range. A Step Back.
For all the hype leading up to the matchup, neither MVP-candidate had an overly impressive game. The Bucks, however, were very impressive. Milwaukee showcased why it has a real chance to make it to the NBA Finals with a 108-94 defeat over the Rockets on Tuesday night. Houston was shut down defensively, specifically Harden, who forced to find open shooters. The problem was, no one could make a shot. The Beard and the Rockets need to adjust to this type of defense as Milwaukee has proven it successful in both games against Houston this campaign. The Bucks are the only team to sweep the Rockets this season. Eric Bledsoe was the biggest factor in the victory for Milwaukee tonight, hitting big shots to help the Bucks pull away after Houston led after the first quarter. It’s a teachable moment for the Rockets, who have a lot to learn from this game. They need to look at the film from this game and dissect the other aspects that didn’t go their way on Tuesday night. Fixing these issues will prevent headaches for Houston in the future.
The Rockets and Bucks play similar styles in that both squads love to shoot the 3. Milwaukee beat Houston at that aspect of the contest. The Rockets only connected on 30% of their long-range attempts. The Bucks hit 40% and were the better team on Tuesday night, despite missing Malcolm Brogdon and Nikola Mirotic to injuries. Houston needs to find other ways to get in the win column when their shots from deep aren’t falling. The Rockets won’t always be hot from 3, they need to improve their versatility on offense to have the best chance at advancing in the playoffs.
With the loss in Milwaukee, Houston falls to fourth place in the Western Conference standings. Portland moves up to the third slot and sits a game in front of Houston. The Blazers suffered unfortunate news recently. Their third best player, center Jusuf Nurkic, broke his leg, and will be out for the season. Portland still has to play second-seeded Denver twice, so if the Rockets can close the final 7 games strong, they have a chance to grab the 3-seed back from the Blazers. It won’t be easy. Portland owns the tiebreaker. Houston can’t afford to lose any more games or they will be bound to be a 4-seed or lower. It doesn’t get any easier as the Denver Nuggets come to town for the Rockets next game on Thursday night. There won’t be as much hype surrounding this game, but the match is even more important for Houston, given that both teams are in the West. The Rockets need to get hyped.