Milwaukee Bucks vs. Houston Rockets Preview: Sunday Night Showdown

Still beaming from their improbable dunking upon the dome of Jason Kidd and the Mavericks, the Milwaukee Bucks flew south and are prepping to take on the Houston Rockets Sunday evening.

Where We’re At

Milwaukee didn’t look at their peak the entirety of the contest against Dallas. There were some defensive lapses, plus plenty of turnovers and offensive execution issues. And yet, they still mustered a win in the waning moments with this beautiful George Hill-Brook Lopez connection in the final ten seconds.

Giannis Antetokounmpo looked out of sorts for three quarters before finally turning it on in the fourth and piling in 28 points. After fouling out for the third time this year, I’m sure he’s looking forward to an easier go of it against Houston’s porous defense.

Despite wins over the Suns and Sixers in their last ten, the state of the Rockets is that they are still veeery much a work in progress. Case in point: they lost to the Spurs, who are 2-8 in their last ten. They’ve got the third worst defense in the league and rely upon threes, shots at the rim and their youthful vigor to get them through most contests. Chock full of young prospects, it seems like another developmental year for them. Also recall that Giannis dropped 44 on them during their prior matchup, when the Bucks won 125-105.

Jae’sean Tate and Josh Christopher are missing among Houston’s main rotation. Joe Ingles and Wes Matthews remain out for the Bucks.

Player to Watch

Grayson Allen has remained in the starting lineup and predictably seen his shots drop a bit since the return of Khris Middleton. He has however been critical at times attacking close outs and looked really good doing that against the Mavs in addition to spacing the floor from deep. One of my favorite actions to watch this season has been Giannis and Allen working back and forth DHO’s until they get enough space for a shot or a drive. Their chemistry seems to be growing as the year wears on too.

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