Milwaukee Bucks open with impressive road win; 3 takeaways
By Jordan Foote
The Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Houston Rockets 117-111 to start their season 1-0. What are some takeaways from the game?
It wasn’t pretty … until it was. The Milwaukee Bucks are undefeated.
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They played from behind for the majority of the game. They also lost Giannis Antetokounmpo due to the 2018-19 MVP fouling out with five minutes left in the contest. Despite that, the Bucks were able to come back against the high-powered offense of the Houston Rockets for a 117-111 victory.
After the opening quarter of the game, Houston led 30-23. By halftime, that mark increased to 66-50. A solid third from Milwaukee cut the lead to nine and the final frame capped off what was arguably the most impressive comeback of the young NBA season.
Every one of coach Mike Budenholzer’s five starters scored in double figures. Two more players hit that total off the bench. Milwaukee’s defense was able to stifle James Harden to the tune of 2-for-13 shooting (free throws were outstanding, of course). In all, it was a solid performance from one of the NBA’s best teams, against one of the NBA’s best teams.
With that said, what are some takeaways from Thursday night’s contest? While certain performances were expected, others came out of nowhere and could be worth keeping an eye on moving forward. Three things stuck out in particular.