Milwaukee Bucks: Takeaways from 120-116 loss to the Houston Rockets
Milwaukee Bucks: Takeaways from 120-116 loss to the Houston Rockets – The power trio
When all else failed throughout Sunday’s clash with the Rockets, the Bucks had their core stars of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez and Khris Middleton to make crucial plays. The triumverate of Antetokounmpo, Middleton and Lopez accounted for 86 of the Bucks’ 116 points and all turned in solid-to-decent nights shooting the ball as they went for a combined 33-for-61 from the field (5-for-15 from three) for the game.
Certainly both Antetokounmpo and Middleton started off fast and helped to keep the Bucks in it, especially when things looked dire.
Middleton, in particular, was dialed in from the opening tip and his shot making was on point as he repeatedly created tough baskets to help the Bucks find a nice scoring punch early on. The two-time All-Star eventually went on to finish with a double-double of 27 points (on 18 shots) and 12 rebounds and put in a much improved performance compared to Friday night.
Antetokounmpo was his usual self penetrating the paint and feasting at the basket as he scored 22 of his 36 points in the painted area. Combine that with his tenacity on the glass that helped accrue 18 boards as well as the brilliant kick-outs he created to open Bucks teammates to give him eight assists, and it was all in a night’s work for the reigning MVP.
Perhaps the most critical contributions to the Bucks’ comeback effort came from Lopez, though, as he regularly mashed his way on mismatches while in the post to steady the Bucks’ offense all throughout the second half.
Case in point, 19 of Lopez’s 23 points came over the course of the second half and he was responsible for 12 of the team’s 22 second chance points, thanks to his size and positioning to get in front of the cup to capitalize on such opportunities. Along with that, Lopez added in 12 rebounds as well as a pair of assists and blocks in just over 31 minutes of burn.
Of course, none of the efforts from Antetokounmpo, Lopez and Middleton were spotless and even some went on to contribute to the Bucks’ sudden and late downfall.