Giannis and Harden clash for the 14th time as Bucks try to secure No. 1 in the East

2020-08-02T22:35:23+00:00 2020-08-02T22:47:58+00:00.

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02/Aug/20 22:35

Eurohoops.net

Another clash of the two MVP candidates will this time around happen in Orlando as they try to push their squads to the best possible playoff seed

By Stefan Djordjevic/ info@eurohoops.net

Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden have developed a rivalry as they competed for the MVP ward year after year, with that being the case this season as well.

The games in Orlando won’t count toward the decisions for this year’s MVP but the two superstars will without a doubt go “full throttle” to prove their supremacy as well as get their squad in the best possible spot before the playoffs.

Milwaukee has a chance to secure their position at the top of the Eastern Conference while Houston, which is currently fifth in the West, needs every win they can get in order to reach the Nuggets and the Jazz as well as keep Oklahoma and Dallas of their backs.

The Bucks have been leading the NBA with a 54-12 record and are topping most of the stats categories. Perhaps their dominance could be summed up in the fact that they have +11.2 differential per game which puts them on pace for the fifth-best in NBA history. And each of the squads in the top four won the title.

No doubt that Milwaukee will be the favorite vs. Houston, even more so due to the fact that they won the past three clashes against them including the one early on this season.

For some, however, it won’t matter who actually wins but who was the best player on the court. With all eyes being on Giannis and Harden.

With that in mind, here are some stats from their previous 13 clashes. Keep in mind, though, that it took a bit time for Giannis to reach the MVP level while Harden – who is older five years – was already ‘mature’ and with a leading role in their early duels.

Via Basketball Reference:

Rk Player Date Age Tm Opp GS MP FG FGA FG% 3P 3PA 3P% FT FTA FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS
1 Giannis Antetokounmpo 2014-01-18 19-043 MIL @ HOU L 1 21:16 4 10 .400 2 4 .500 0 0 0 4 4 3 1 1 3 4 10
1 James Harden 2014-01-18 24-145 HOU MIL W 1 37:03 7 16 .438 1 6 .167 7 10 .700 1 3 4 4 5 0 4 3 22
2 Giannis Antetokounmpo 2014-02-08 19-064 MIL HOU L 0 24:56 0 8 .000 0 1 .000 1 2 .500 1 4 5 0 1 1 1 2 1
2 James Harden 2014-02-08 24-166 HOU @ MIL W 1 39:06 9 21 .429 1 9 .111 3 4 .750 0 2 2 3 4 0 5 1 22
3 Giannis Antetokounmpo 2014-11-29 19-358 MIL HOU L 1 34:42 7 12 .583 0 1 .000 3 3 1.000 2 5 7 2 0 2 0 3 17
3 James Harden 2014-11-29 25-095 HOU @ MIL W 1 38:16 9 14 .643 4 5 .800 12 13 .923 2 4 6 7 4 1 5 4 34
4 Giannis Antetokounmpo 2015-02-06 20-062 MIL @ HOU L 1 34:43 11 16 .688 0 0 5 6 .833 3 12 15 4 0 1 3 4 27
4 James Harden 2015-02-06 25-164 HOU MIL W 1 40:14 9 14 .643 3 6 .500 12 17 .706 0 3 3 5 1 0 3 1 33
5 Giannis Antetokounmpo 2016-01-22 21-047 MIL @ HOU L 1 33:30 7 12 .583 0 0 4 4 1.000 1 5 6 2 1 1 2 3 18
5 James Harden 2016-01-22 26-149 HOU MIL W 1 34:06 9 15 .600 5 8 .625 7 8 .875 0 5 5 8 2 0 2 2 30
Rk Player Date Age Tm Opp GS MP FG FGA FG% 3P 3PA 3P% FT FTA FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS
6 Giannis Antetokounmpo 2016-02-29 21-085 MIL HOU W 1 42:22 7 13 .538 0 1 .000 4 11 .364 0 16 16 11 4 2 5 4 18
6 James Harden 2016-02-29 26-187 HOU @ MIL L 1 39:58 8 16 .500 3 7 .429 7 7 1.000 0 6 6 9 3 0 4 3 26
7 Giannis Antetokounmpo 2017-01-18 22-043 MIL @ HOU L 1 37:01 13 20 .650 1 4 .250 5 6 .833 1 10 11 6 1 3 4 3 32
7 James Harden 2017-01-18 27-145 HOU MIL W 1 36:42 14 25 .560 4 11 .364 6 6 1.000 0 6 6 8 0 2 2 2 38
8 Giannis Antetokounmpo 2017-01-23 22-048 MIL HOU W 1 36:28 11 17 .647 2 3 .667 7 8 .875 3 4 7 3 1 4 5 3 31
8 James Harden 2017-01-23 27-150 HOU @ MIL L 1 39:33 6 10 .600 2 4 .500 12 14 .857 0 8 8 12 3 1 11 3 26
9 Giannis Antetokounmpo 2017-12-16 23-010 MIL @ HOU L 1 42:19 10 22 .455 0 3 .000 8 10 .800 2 7 9 5 4 0 3 2 28
9 James Harden 2017-12-16 28-112 HOU MIL W 1 39:12 8 21 .381 4 10 .400 11 14 .786 0 6 6 5 0 1 3 4 31
10 Giannis Antetokounmpo 2018-03-07 23-091 MIL HOU L 1 37:44 12 20 .600 0 0 6 9 .667 2 5 7 1 1 2 6 4 30
10 James Harden 2018-03-07 28-193 HOU @ MIL W 1 34:46 8 20 .400 3 10 .300 7 7 1.000 0 5 5 6 4 1 5 2 26
Rk Player Date Age Tm Opp GS MP FG FGA FG% 3P 3PA 3P% FT FTA FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS
11 Giannis Antetokounmpo 2019-01-09 24-034 MIL @ HOU W 1 36:32 8 16 .500 0 1 .000 11 14 .786 4 17 21 5 1 0 3 2 27
11 James Harden 2019-01-09 29-136 HOU MIL L 1 40:54 13 30 .433 6 16 .375 10 11 .909 1 10 11 6 2 1 9 4 42
12 Giannis Antetokounmpo 2019-03-26 24-110 MIL HOU W 1 32:40 7 15 .467 0 2 .000 5 7 .714 2 12 14 4 1 1 5 3 19
12 James Harden 2019-03-26 29-212 HOU @ MIL L 1 37:55 9 26 .346 1 9 .111 4 5 .800 0 10 10 7 0 2 4 4 23
13 Giannis Antetokounmpo 2019-10-24 24-322 MIL @ HOU W 1 28:10 11 17 .647 2 5 .400 6 11 .545 0 13 13 11 1 1 3 6 30
13 James Harden 2019-10-24 30-059 HOU MIL L 1 36:26 2 13 .154 1 8 .125 14 14 1.000 2 5 7 14 1 1 7 5 19

Both of them started off strong in their first seeding games with Giannis logging 36 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists, one steal, and one block in 32 minutes against Boston while Harden banked 49 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, three blocks, and three steals in 43 minutes against Dallas.

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