3 things to watch for as Milwaukee Bucks return against Houston Rockets

Can the Milwaukee Bucks dominate the paint again without Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis?

In their first meeting this season, the Bucks scored 52 points in the paint and got 24 points at the free-throw line, a lot of that coming from Antetokounmpo who had 38 points inside the arc. Unfortunately, he’s still in health and safety protocols, as well as Bobby Portis (who poured in 12 points that weren’t 3s), so if they want to continue dominating inside, who will need to step up?

The good news is that they still scored 50 points in the paint against the New Orleans Pelicans, who are devoid of any real rim protection, without Antetokounmpo and Portis so there should still be opportunities against a Rockets team that allows the sixth-most attempts in the restricted area.

They won’t be as formidable up front, with DeMarcus Cousins and Sandro Mamukelashvili likely seeing the bulk of the center minutes. But we’ll also continue to see some fun small-ball combinations that will be able to feature Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton, Grayson Allen, and Pat Connaughton.

They got good production from their super small units against the Pelicans, but the Rockets will pose a different challenge. The Bucks can’t be content and settle for jumpers against a good shooting Rockets team, they’ll need to get into the paint and score to keep the Rockets defense honest and draw fouls by remaining aggressive inside.