3 things to watch for Milwaukee Bucks against surging Houston Rockets

Following a tough loss a couple of days ago, the Milwaukee Bucks continue on the road against a Houston Rockets team that has found a bit of a groove. On paper, this is a game the Bucks should win, but the Rockets are rolling right now and have a ton of confidence.

After starting the season 1-16, including a 15-game losing streak, the Rockets have ripped off seven straight wins — including a 10-point win over the Brooklyn Nets (who were without Kevin Durant, but still).

This has come without number two overall pick Jalen Green and scoring-aficionado Kevin Porter Jr. for most of the winning streak as Houston has found a way to win games without their two young scoring guards.

It should be a bounce-back game for the Bucks but it may not necessarily come easy against a Rockets team on a hot streak.

Can Khris Middleton get back on track for the Milwaukee Bucks against the Houston Rockets?

Right as I thought Khris Middleton had turned a corner for the Bucks after a couple of solid performances, starting with a strong second half against the Toronto Raptors, he had a relative dud against the Miami Heat.

I say relative dud because he still managed 20 points on nearly 64 percent true shooting which sounds awesome (and it is!), but where he struggled was on his 2-point attempts. He was 4-of-8 from 3 and went 6-for-6 at the free throw line, which is fantastic efficiency and still a reason for optimism. The concern is that he went 1-of-5 on his 2s and also turned the ball over six times.

Middleton is shooting around 47 percent on his overall 2-point attempts this season, which would be the lowest mark of his career since 2016-17 when he shot around 46 percent. That was also the year he returned from a torn hamstring late in the season, so there was at least a bit of a reason as to why it happened that year. He still managed to shoot over 43 percent from 3 that season as well.

Middleton is shooting around 34 percent from deep so far this season, the lowest mark since his rookie season. But since he’s returned from COVID, he is shooting over 38 percent from 3-point range on over six attempts, so he’s found his rhythm after a brutal start. There shouldn’t be any concern about him dealing with the new rule changes as his free throw rate has gone up from last season by five percent.

I’d like to brush it off as Middleton still dealing with the aftereffects from COVID, but it’s been about 12 games and nearing a month since his return. I’m confident he will get his midrange jumper going eventually, it’s just frustrating to see him miss looks he normally converts.