Milwaukee Bucks open with impressive road win; 3 takeaways

1. Giannis Antetokounmpo is still the MVP

2018-19 was a season for the ages for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Not only did he lead the Milwaukee Bucks to the best record in the NBA and a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals, but he was named the league’s Most Valuable Player while averaging 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game and playing elite-level defense.

Against the Rockets, that play continued. Despite fouling out with 5:18 left in the game, Antetokounmpo managed to score 30 points, grab 13 rebounds and record 11 assists in just 28 minutes. Not very often do you see a player record a triple-double in less than 30 minutes, but on Thursday, we got treated to one by Antetokounmpo.

It wasn’t just on dunks and free throws, either. The Greek Freak attempted five 3s against the Rockets, draining a pair of them. Good for 40 percent, Antetokounmpo’s willingness to fire away from deep is a positive sign for both him and the Bucks moving forward.

At the end of the day, Milwaukee did what it needed to do in order to complete the comeback and beat a tough opponent on the road. Although the NBA regular season is 82 games long, every win counts in the standings the same.

Antetokounmpo put the team on his back and engineered a come-from-behind effort, and his teammates held off the Rockets until the final buzzer. Not a bad night for Budenholzer’s squad.