Milwaukee Bucks: Wesley Matthews’ 3 best games of the season so far

@ Houston Rockets, Oct. 24

Matthews’ first official Bucks appearance was an incredibly memorable one and not just in the way the Bucks managed to storm back from a 16-point deficit at halftime to win 117-111 in Houston on opening night.

The former Golden Eagle drew the short straw of having to defend Rockets guard and former MVP, James Harden, for extended stretches throughout the night and with their backs against the wall at that.

It was a job that Matthews did exceptionally well as he adhered to the same strategy Bucks guard Eric Bledsoe used when primarily defending Harden by exclusively playing to his left hand, in an attempt to neutralize him from getting space off of and launching into his patented step-back 3-point shot. Per NBA.com/stats, Matthews held Harden to zero points on 0-for-7 shooting from the field (0-for-6 from deep) and even forced a pair of turnovers.

While Matthews struggled on the other side of the ball, especially when launching away from deep, his second triple with 92 seconds to go in the final frame was a critical basket that helped eventually cement the Bucks’ comeback victory over Houston.

Matthews finished with 14 points on 12 shots (2-for-8 from three), four rebounds, two steals, one assist, one block and a turnover in nearly 30 and a half minutes of burn. A memorable and thrilling Bucks debut, indeed.