Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and Houston Rockets guard James Harden earns the Players of the Month awards for the games played back in December 2019 in their respective conferences.
Antetokounmpo was able to come up with a monster month that saw him averaging a double-double. He tallied 29.3 points, 12 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game while leading his team to an impressive 13-2 record.
The Bucks were surely invincible with Mike Budenholzer’s lead – who won the Coach of the Month award in the Eastern Conference – which saw them coming out with blazing guns for a month.
In 15 games played in December, the team came up with a huge 132-88 win over the slumping New York Knicks and destroying the injury-plagued Detroit Pistons for a 127-103 blowout. That was an impressive stretch especially for the reigning MVP, who led the scoring in those games.
The Bucks were able to rout the combo of 2019 Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and Paul George when they easily cruised past the Los Angeles Clippers for a 119-91 victory. They also staved off the best of the West in LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers with a 111-104 win.
Giannis led his team to a 42-point second quarter to end the half with a bang. He kept his foot on the gas as the tallied 34 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists to help his team claim the best record in the league once more.
He was instrumental in pushing the team’s biggest lead to 21 points. He was on fire from all sides of the court, and when no man defended the MCP from downtown, he simply took advantage of the space and knocked down the shot.
He had five three-pointers in the game to write off his new career-high in threes made. He wasn’t known for his shooting prowess, but that time, he showed the league that he has a lot more tricks up his sleeve for everyone to see.
Make sure to bet on Milwaukee’s chances in their January schedule
December wasn’t exactly a bright month for James Harden and the Houston Rockets. Harden willed his team to win in some games, but they both lost to begin and end the month.
The Beard carried much of the load in the team, averaging 37.3 points, 6.9 assists, and 5.6 rebounds despite the presence of combo guard and triple-double machine Russell Westbrook. The team was able to come up with a 10-5 record in that month, which kept them in the 4th spot in the tight Western Conference.
Harden played well with Westbrook in their close 109-107 win against their Texas rivals in San Antonio Spurs. Harden dropped 28 points while flirting with a triple-double as he added eight rebounds and seven assists.
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Despite his high-volume scoring, Harden and the team had a disappointing loss against the worst team in the Western Conference in the Golden State Warriors. Harden had 24 points to go along with 11 assists and six rebounds.
His six threes went to waste as the Warriors surprised them with a lot of firepower. He shot 50% from the field, but it wasn’t enough to carry the team despite Westbrook’s 30 points.
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