James Harden was seeing stars in the fourth quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday after an errant pass from Giannis Antetokounmpo hit him right above his right temple. Antetokounmpo was backing down Rockets' forward P.J. Tucker when he whipped the ball towards the corner, where it was intercepted by Harden's skull.
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Milwaukee's point guard, Malcolm Brogdon, was standing in the corner out of frame, and it's assumed that he is who Antetokounmpo was trying to pass too. A clearly staggered Harden took a moment to compose himself, but luckily for Houston, stayed the game.
Harden and Antetokounmpo have been talked about as the two front-runners for this year's MVP award. Before tonight, the Bucks were 28-11 and just a game behind the conference-leading Toronto Raptors, in large part due to the Greek Freak. Antetokounmpo is averaging 26.6 points, 12.6 rebounds and six assists per game on over 58 percent from the field.
The Rockets struggled earlier in the year, falling as low as 14th place in the west. But after Chris Paul was removed from the lineup due to a hamstring injury, Harden raised his game to another level. Before tonight's game, the Rockets sat at fifth place in the West after winning 12 of their last 14 straight games. Harden is averaging 33.7 points, 5.9 assists and 8.7 assists on the season.
The Rockets fought back from a second half deficit of nearly 2o, but the Bucks were able to hold on for a win in Houston. Both teams will face a struggling Eastern Conference team next on Friday, with the Bucks heading to Washington to face the Wizards while Houston hosts the Cleveland Cavaliers.
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