The Milwaukee Bucks pay a visit to Houston to take on the Rockets tonight. The Bucks have been hot lately winning six of their last seven and 10 of their last 12 games. This winning stretch has helped keep Milwaukee ahead of the Pacers in the Central Division. Meanwhile, the Houston Rockets have been on a tear of their own with seven wins in their last eight games and 12 wins in their last 14. Houston has been climbing in the standings and they are currently tied with the Spurs atop the Southwest Division. While both teams are playing well, all eyes will be on Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden.
Giannis Antetokounmpo vs. James Harden: Who will score more points?
Giannis Antetokounmpo +8.5
James Harden -8.5
Antetokounmpo has been a huge contributor to Milwaukee’s success. He dropped 30 points on Utah following a game versus the Raptors in which he scored an impressive 43 points. He averaged 25.6 points per game in December and he has been logging some major minutes in the process. He will absolutely be a factor in Milwaukee reaching their season wins total and this team is looking like a squad that is set for a great second half and a long playoff run.
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Milwaukee and Houston only face each other a couple of times each year, but Houston has definitely held the upper hand with eight wins in the last 10 meetings. In the first meeting between these teams last year Houston walked away with a 115-111 victory. Antetokounmpo played 42 minutes and registered 28 points. He notched 30 points in the second meeting which was a 110-99 loss at home.
James Harden has been instrumental in Houston’s recent rise. He is the team’s leading scorer by a long shot and the Rockets count on him to show up every night. He averaged 36.4 points per game in December and has reached the 30-point plateau in each of his last 13 games. He has also eclipsed the 40-point mark in seven of those games. Last year, Harden registered 31 points in the first meeting with the Bucks and he was held to 26 points in the second game.
James Harden is projected to outscore Antetokounmpo in Wednesday’s meeting. However, the million dollar question is whether Antetokounmpo can keep it within 8.5 points? It can be assumed that he will be seeing at least 30 minutes of court time, although it’s more likely that he’s out there for 35 minutes. This should be enough time for him to score somewhere in the neighborhood of 28 to 32 points. That number could even climb higher is he can have the same amount of success in the field goal department as he did versus Toronto. However, it’s always tougher on the road.
What can we expect from James Harden? After scoring 40 or more points in five consecutive games, Harden’s totals have dropped in his past two outings. He recorded 38 points in Portland before returning home against Denver and scoring 32. This decline is largely due to a drop in field goal percentage, along with below average success with three-pointers. It’s not a lack of playing time as he has been averaging 40 minutes so far in 2019. If this trend continues then Antetokounmpo’s point total should be within 8.5 points of Harden’s.
Pick: Giannis Antetokounmpo +8.5
