Bucks Shoot Down Rockets in Season Opener for Both NBA Teams

The much anticipated regular season debut of Russell Westbrook as a member of the Houston Rockets in the backcourt with James Harden took place on October 24th in Houston. The Rockets opened the season in a super matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks, last season’s Eastern Conference champions, who also happen to have last season’s NBA Most Valuable Player, Giannis Antetokoumnpo. Harden, of course, was the NBA MVP the season before that, and Westbrook was the MVP in the 2016-17 season when he was with Oklahoma City.

The first half belonged to the Rockets, who built a 66-50 lead at halftime. Last season, Milwaukee often spotted the opposition a lead at halftime, adjusted, and came roaring back in the second half. But usually the opponent wasn’t the caliber of the Rockets, so this would appear to be more of a challenge.

The Bucks were up for the challenge. Milwaukee edged closer in the third quarter, trailing by 11 at 87-78 going into the fourth. Then the Bucks outscored Houston 39-24 in the fourth quarter to win 117-111. Antetokoumnpo had a triple double for Milwaukee, with 30 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists. Six other Bucks scored in double figures, and Ersan Illyasova had a double double off the bench with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

As for Houston, Harden, who averaged 36.1 points per game last season, was held to 19, 14 of which came on free throws. He had 13 assists, making for a somewhat unusual double double. Westbrook led the rockets with 24 points and 16 rebounds.

The Rockets weren’t going to go undefeated and will still be at or near the top of the Western Conference standings when the regular season ends in April. They’ll host New Orleans on October 26th. Milwaukee led the NBA with 60 wins last year but lost in the Eastern Conference Finals to eventual champion Toronto, so they’re playing with a sense of Unfinished Business. The Bucks will host Miami next on October 26th.