Milwaukee Bucks and Houston Rockets were two teams who looked tired besides their superstars. Both Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden put on a show for the national television audience. Sad thing for Bucks, no one could join him on the scoring fun as Houston wins 112-99. Bucks have now lost three straight… Not great.

Player of the Game (Bucks): Giannis Antetokounmpo – You know the term ‘He put the team on his back’? That’s the case with Giannis Antetokounmpo last night against Houston Rockets. He was the only player to show up tonight. Antetokounmpo had 32 points, 11 rebounds and a couple assists. It’s concerning that Giannis going off and getting no help around him is becoming the new normal. That cannot be the case.

(Not) Player of the Game (Bucks): Jabari Parker – Sweet that he added double figures, but a dreadful night from the field only going 5-for-15 with no three pointers. Parker is hitting a cold patch, and he needs to bust out of it soon. Milwaukee should really work on getting him going early on in Friday’s tussle with Orlando.

Player of the Game (Rockets): James Harden – Bucks pulled the lead to seven in the fourth before Harden led Rockets on a charge to separate themselves from the Bucks. He played great with 38 points, eight assists and six rebounds. Bucks struggled with Harden like the rest of the league as he found many different ways to score.

Positive: Khris Middleton back before the All-Star Break? – This probably could be its own blog post, but reports are Khris Middleton could be ready to go by early February. The return of Middleton would be a much needed shot in the arm and force Jason Kidd to make some lineup changes.

Negative: Jason Kidd’s lineups – It’s time to blow the whole thing up. Nothing is working right now with the lineups the Bucks are trotting out there. Kidd needs to be more innovative and think of different combinations paired up with Giannis or Jabari. The natives are getting restless again about Kidd’s stubbornness.

Next up: Milwaukee heads to Orlando for their third meeting with Magic. Right now, Orlando is on the ropes. They’ve lost seven of their last eight and giving up a ton of points in the process. This is as close to a must-win as they come.