James Harden didn’t have to wait too long to troll Giannis Antetokounmpo after finishing runner-up for the Most Valuable Player award last season, ducking for cover after the reigning MVP fired up an air ball on a 3-point attempt in the first minutes of the first quarter on Thursday.
Forward PJ Tucker gave The Greek Freak enough space to take the jumper, and he did, missing every part of the rim and barely ticking the net as the ball sailed out of bounds.
Always the jokester, Harden visibly ducked for cover instead of chasing after the rebound:
Harden’s reaction to Giannis’ air ball
pic.twitter.com/Vyp32KgrNy
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 25, 2019
The joke, as it turns out, wound up being all on Harden, who struggled to the tune of 2-of-13 shooting from the floor, managing 19 points in a season-opening loss while parading to the foul line to knock down all of his 14 free throws.
It seems the wind wasn’t only blowing for Antetokounmpo, but also for Harden, who failed to connect on the vast majority of his field goal attempts.
Meanwhile, Antetokounmpo went off for a 30-point triple-double, playing a major factor in the Milwaukee Bucks’ comeback win to start their season out right.
The Beard also got into it with Russell Westbrook in their first game together in the backcourt, something many expected with two high-usage ball handlers in constant need of the ball.
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