Giannis Antetokounmpo Stats Tonight: How did 2x MVP play against reported trade suitors Houston Rockets? (Nov. 18)

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks welcomed the Houston Rockets to Fiserv Forum on Monday night. The Bucks were looking to bounce back after a disappointing loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday. How did Antetokounmpo play tonight against a Rockets team named as one of his suitors?

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Rockets are one of the teams interested in acquiring the two-time MVP if he requests a trade out of Milwaukee. The Bucks are off to a rough start to the season, and Giannis Antetokounmpo has been linked to several teams.

Antetokounmpo finished the game with 20 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and three blocks. He only scored two points in the fourth quarter but made the game-saving deflection at the buzzer to help the Bucks earn a 101-100 win.

Here are Giannis Antetokounmpo's stats for the game:

Players	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	MIN	FG	3PT	FT	+/-
Giannis Antetokounmpo	20	14	4	0	3	8	3	35:35	9-17	0-0	2-7	-2

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How did Giannis Antetokounmpo perform against the Houston Rockets?

In the first quarter, the "Greek Freak" wasn't aggressive on offense and turned the ball over three times. He only had two points in the first 12 minutes, but his block on Jalen Green midway through the period helped spark the team's run.

The Bucks were down by as much as 13 points before trimming it to just a 28-27 lead at the end of the first quarter. Antetokounmpo had a much better second quarter, scoring eight points to help the Bucks take control of the game.

His aggressiveness was vital in opening the perimeter for Brook Lopez, Gary Trent Jr. and Delon Wright to knock down 3-point shots. Milwaukee had a 57-45 advantage at the half.

It was a back-and-forth third quarter with Giannis Antetokounmpo helping the Bucks maintain their lead. Antetokounmpo scored eight more points in the period, but Fred VanVleet's red-hot scoring trimmed Milwaukee's lead to just three points heading into the final quarter.

In the fourth period, the two-time MVP was fairly quiet on the offensive end with just two points. He was active on defense in the clutch, blocking Alperen Sengun's shot with around 21 seconds remaining in the game. It led to Damian Lillard's go-ahead bucket to give Milwaukee a 101-100 lead.

With two seconds left, Antetokounmpo lost Sengun, who had an open layup. He couldn't secure the ball so he tried to pass it to Jabari Smith Jr. "The Greek Freak" sealed the win with a deflection at the buzzer.

The Bucks improved to 5-9 for the season with their win over the Rockets. It might have been their best of the campaign given Houston's five-game winning streak and 10-3 record heading into the game.

Milwaukee continues their homestand with three more games, welcoming the Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers and Charlotte Hornets next.