Milwaukee Bucks vs. Houston Rockets: Championship Aspirations

The Milwaukee Bucks will clash with the Houston Rockets tonight inside the Toyota Center in a battle against the 2018-2019 NBA MVP, and the guy who came in second place. What better way to finally start the season?

Bucks Update

With Giannis Antetokounmpo hungry for more, the Milwaukee Bucks added veteran sharpshooters Wesley Matthews and Kyle Korver to the squad. These are two guys who usually lit the Bucks up whenever they faced them, so it is certainly a relief to have them on the good side now.

The departure of Malcolm Brogdon this past offseason offers a pristine opportunities for guys like Donte DiVincenzo, Pat Connaughton, and D.J. Wilson to step up.

The Bucks looked like a well oiled machine in the preseason, and will take aim at a Houston Rockets defensive unit that ranked in the middle of the pack in defensive rating (110.7). On the other hand, the Bucks had the NBA’s fourth-best offensive rating (113.8) last season.

Milwaukee’s starting point guard, Eric Bledsoe, has been cleared and is fully expected to start tonight’s season opener.

Player to Watch: Eric Bledsoe

If there was one of the few players to give Rockets star James Harden fits, it’s Eric Bledsoe. I love the tenacity Bledsoe plays with on the defensive end, and he will not back away from a challenge. Expect him to be all over Harden tomorrow.

Rockets Update

Well, it is safe to say that the Rockets offseason acquisition of point guard Russell Westbrook was overshadowed by the controversial tweet posted by GM Daryl Morey.

However, pairing a duo like this, although insanely talented, is very risky. Both Harden and Westbrook are ball dominant, and have spent the majority of their career with the ball in their hands. It will be interesting to see who pulls up from 40-feet in transition tonight.

Last season, Houston scored 113.9 points per game which was just outside the top-10. Oddly enough, they also played at the fourth-slowest pace in the league last season.

However, they’ll be without microwave scorer Gerald Green for a while as he is nursing a foot injury. That certainly is a big loss for a team that is not very deep.

Here’s the Rockets injury report for tonight.

Player to Watch: Russell Westbrook

We’ll see which Westbrook the Bucks are going to get tonight. One of the streakiest scorers in the NBA, when he is on, it’s nearly impossible to stop him. However, when he’s off, he’s REALLY off. I am sure the Bucks defense will live with him jacking up jumpers.