Antetokounmpo and Parker look like future stars in Bucks win
The Milwaukee Bucks have had a very disappointing season, but their fortune has turned in recent weeks due in large part to promising showings from high-potential forwards Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker. After playing below expectations in the opening months, both players have shown flashes of the abilities that had many analysts predicting that the Bucks would take another leap towards contention. Milwaukee is still well out of playoff position, but Antetokounmpo and Parker have done enough to convince they could still become stars quite soon.
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Monday’s home game against the Houston Rockets served as the best example of their talents yet. Both were stellar in the 128-121 win, to the point where it’s hard to single out either one as superior to the other. But let’s start with Antetokounmpo, who put up his second career triple-double (after logging his first exactly a week prior) with 18 points (7-of-11 FG), 17 rebounds, 11 assists, four steals, and two blocks.
Parker’s impact was a little more focused — he scored a career-high 36 points on 16-of-25 shooting, besting his previous best of 28 set on February 20 against the Atlanta Hawks.
Khris MIddleton wasn’t bad either, adding 30 points on a hyper-efficient 7-of-11 shooting from the field and 15-of-15 from the line.
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The Rockets proved their superiority in this battle of major disappointments, dropping their second in a row after an exciting comeback win last Thursday vs. the Portland Trail Blazers. Defense was the culprit, as usual — the Rockets allowed the Bucks to shoot 59.3 percent from the field and 8-of-15 from deep for their highest point total of the season.
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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
