Milwaukee Bucks: 3 things to watch for vs. Houston Rockets in Orlando

Milwaukee Bucks: 3 things to watch for vs. Houston Rockets in Orlando – The battle of the MVPs

Sunday night will also see the latest meeting between the last two Most Valuable Player winners as Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden are set to reignite their personal rivalry with one another.

Of course, the Bucks got the better of the Rockets, thanks to a magnificent comeback on behalf of the Bucks, all the way back on opening night on October 24, which what feels like 89 years ago.

For those that don’t remember, the Bucks clinched their comeback without their leading superstar on the floor as Antetokounmpo fouled out with 5:18 remaining in the fourth. Fortunately, the Bucks were able to take care of it from there while Antetokounmpo finished with a triple-double of 30 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists in 28 minutes.

Harden’s outing, meanwhile, was quite miserable as he eventually finished with a 19-point night on 2-of-14 shooting (1-for-8 from three, 14-of-14 from the free throw line) and particularly struggled when blanketed by veteran Bucks wing Wesley Matthews.

In the time since the Bucks and Rockets last met, both Antetokounmpo and Harden have gradually escalated the friction between the parties.

Who can forget when Antetokounmpo eschewed picking Harden in the All-Star Draft this year, he wanted someone who “would pass the ball.” Antetokounmpo took things further after the All-Star Game by saying his team’s late game strategy was to get the ball to whoever was guarded by Harden, referencing the latter’s lackadaisical efforts on defense.

A couple of weeks later and not long before the break, Harden followed that up by saying he wished he could be seven-foot tall and dunk as that takes “no skill” in an interview with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols.

Clearly, the jabs between the two top players show there’s little respect for either one’s game, even as their team’s style of play resemble each other in some clear ways. Whether we’ll see either Antetokounmpo and Harden match up against one another and take their brewing feud to another level remains to be seen.