Giannis Antetokoumpo stars as Milwaukee Bucks beat Houston Rockets
Trae Young erupts for 38 points in Hawks' road win over Pistons
Friday 25 October 2019 06:48, UK
Giannis Antetokounmpo posted a triple-double before fouling out as the Milwaukee Bucks erased a 16-point deficit to rally past the Houston Rockets 117-111 on Thursday night at Toyota Center.
Milwaukee Bucks 117-111 Houston Rockets
Giannis Antetokounmpo posted a triple-double before fouling out as the Milwaukee Bucks erased a 16-point deficit to rally past the Houston Rockets 117-111 on Thursday night at Toyota Center.
Antetokounmpo finished with 30 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists before picking up his sixth foul with 5:18 remaining.
The Bucks led 101-95 at that juncture, but they did not collapse with the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player watching from the bench. A collective effort carried Milwaukee to victory in the regular-season opener for both teams, as seven Bucks scored in double figures.
Wesley Matthews had 14 points while Ersan Ilyasova, who gave Milwaukee their first lead at 91-90 on a second-chance basket with 8:34 remaining in the contest, added 13 for the Bucks.
Eric Bledsoe, Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez scored 11 points apiece, and Pat Connaughton added 10. Ilyasova also contributed 11 rebounds.
Russell Westbrook produced 24 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists in his Houston debut while James Harden added 19 points, 14 assists and seven rebounds. Clint Capela finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
Harden shot just 2-for-13 from the floor, and the Rockets misfired on 22-of-27 three-pointers after half-time to fuel the Bucks' comeback.
Even with Harden unable to find his shot, the Rockets roared to an early lead. Harden still managed to connect on all eight of his attempts from the line, and with the Bucks' wayward shooting, Houston forged a 26-13 lead.
Antetokounmpo was largely quiet save for a brief seven-point spurt early in the second quarter, and the Bucks relied on Connaughton to keep them afloat.
Not only did Connaughton score 10 consecutive points for Milwaukee during one stretch in the second, but his playmaking proved critical in breaking down the Rockets' defense.
Atlanta Hawks 117-100 Detroit Pistons
One night after the Pistons made a surprise first impression with a season-opening win on the road, the Atlanta Hawks did the same in Detroit.
Trae Young scored 25 of his game-high 38 points in the first half and added nine assists and seven rebounds to lead the Hawks to a 117-100 in their season opener at Little Caesars Arena on Thursday.
Young went 11-of-21 from the floor, including 6-of-10 from three-point range.
The Hawks started to separate themselves late in the third quarter, going on a 9-0 run to take a 91-79 lead with 34.9 seconds remaining in the period.
Atlanta then built their lead to as many as 14 at 97-83 with 8:49 remaining in the game before the Pistons mounted a surge, going on a 9-1 run to close within 98-92 with 5:45 left.
The momentum, however, did not last long. The Hawks responded with a 7-0 run in less than a minute to grab a 105-92 lead with 4:47 remaining.
Detroit cut their deficit to 105-98 with 2:55 to go, but the Hawks once again answered back by scoring the next five points to go up 110-98 with 1:33 remaining.
John Collins had 18 points and 10 rebounds and Jabari Parker came off of the bench to add 18 points for the Hawks, who shot 51.2 per cent from the field (44-of-86).
Derrick Rose came off of the bench to score 27 points in 25 minutes, and Andre Drummond had 21 points and 12 rebounds in defeat for the Pistons.
