Milwaukee Bucks: Takeaways from 117-111 win over Houston Rockets
MVP, Easy as 1-2-3
While his game ultimately came to a premature end, Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo got his MVP follow-up campaign off on the right note Thursday night in their win over the Rockets.
In over 28 minutes of action, Antetokounmpo finished with a game-high 30 points on 11-of-17 shooting from the field (2-of-5 from deep, 6-of-11 from the foul line), 13 rebounds, 11 assists, three turnovers, one steal and was a +8 for the night.
It was slow going for the Greek phenom as his first points didn’t come until there was 55 seconds left in the first quarter, which came from the foul line. The floodgates opened up shortly thereafter as Antetokounmpo had close to everything working for him scoring the ball, including dialing in from mid-range, and knocking down a pair of triples.
Even with foul trouble preventing him from seeing the floor for normal stretches, Antetokounmpo grew in command of the game as it wore on, and it laid the ground work for the Bucks’ impressive comeback win without the 24-year-old on the floor.
Antetokounmpo even made some history in recording the first 30-point triple-double in an opening game to a season, the first instance since Bucks legend Oscar Robertson did it back in 1966.
Giannis Antetokounmpo becomes the first player since Oscar Robertson in 1966 to post a 30-point triple-double in his opening game of the season.
— Ben Dowsett (@Ben_Dowsett) October 25, 2019
If this is what Antetokounmpo’s start to the season looks like, just wait and see what he has left in store as the year wears on.