Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and Houston Rockets guard James Harden were the top two contenders for the NBA MVP Award last season.
Thus, it makes sense that both have gotten off to a hot start in the hopes of establishing themselves as the best player in basketball. Giannis and Harden made history in November.
Antetokounmpo joined Moses Malone as one of just two players since the ABA-NBA merger to score at least 500 points and grab at least 200 rebounds in a single month:
The @Bucks Giannis Antetokounmpo is just the second player since the ABA-NBA merger to record at least 500 points and 200 rebounds in a calendar month. The other player to do so is Moses Malone (2x).
— Justin Kubatko (@jkubatko) December 1, 2019
As wild as Antetokounmpo's month was, James Harden's 60-point eruption on Saturday night in the Rockets' win over the Hawks gave him 592 points in November. Only Rick Barry and Wilt Chamberlain have scored more points in a single month:
The @HoustonRockets James Harden scored 592 points in November. The only players in NBA history to score points in a single November are Wilt Chamberlain (4x) and Rick Barry.
— Justin Kubatko (@jkubatko) December 1, 2019
Antetokounmpo's November splits were spectacular from an all-around perspective. He averaged 32.7 points, 13.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists while shooting over 56 percent from the field.
Giannis had a 38.6 percent usage rate and .614 true shooting percentage while also registering a defensive rating of 97, according to Basketball-Reference.
Harden might not have been the same two-way player that Giannis was this past month, but he was spectacular as an offensive playmaker.
“The Beard” averaged 39.5 points, 7.6 assists and 6.4 rebounds with a 39.5 usage rate. Even more impressively, he found his groove from beyond the arc. Harden was shooting barely over 22 percent from deep through the first four games, but he shot close to 39 percent from beyond the arc in November.
Harden finished the month with a .653 true shooting percentage while averaging nearly 14 free-throw attempts per game, scoring in just about every way possible.
LeBron James and Luka Doncic are making their own cases for MVP, but with the way Giannis and Harden are cooking, it could soon turn into a two-horse race once again.
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