James Harden put up a defensive clinic against the reigning MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo, in the Rockets 120-116 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks to close Sunday night NBA action. Harden has been criticized for his lack of effort on the defensive end in previous years but the Beard has improved his game and the first two games in the bubble are the biggest sample of that.
He only scored 24 points, 25 less than he scored on Friday against the Dallas Mavericks, but was very important on defense, collecting six steals. Giannis did score a lot, with 36 points, and added 18 rebounds and eight assists. Harden was great against the Greek Freak, especially during the last minutes of the game, locking his nemesis.
After the game, he was asked about his defensive performance, and he sent a big message to critics. Somebody said he proved something with his defense on Giannis, but he laughed at that.
“No, I have nothing to prove. To anybody,” the 2018 NBA MVP stated, via Ben Golliver.
James Harden laughs off notion he showed something with his defense on Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo late in Rockets win: “No, I have nothing to prove. To anybody.” pic.twitter.com/KTXWybAug6
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) August 3, 2020
Moreover, James appeared to suggest he is getting tired of all these questions. When somebody talked about how difficult it was to guard the reigning MVP, Harden’s answer was short and precise.
“Next question,” he said.
Reporter: “How difficult was it to defend Giannis Antetokounmpo?”
Rockets’ James Harden: “Next question.” pic.twitter.com/30edxLI7EQ
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) August 3, 2020
He had a terrific night against the Bucks and even though he didn’t want to talk a lot about that, Harden knows he did a great job against one of his biggest rivals in the league. The job is not done, but things look very favorable for the Houston Rockets.
With the victory, the Rockets improved their record to 42-24, moving to the fourth place in the Western Conference, surpassing the Utah Jazz and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Small ball is doing a lot of damage in the league right now.
