Matthews honours grandma in style

MILWAUKEE • Wesley Matthews was not in the best state of mind to play basketball on Wednesday night, having learnt of his grandmother's death while he was in the National Basketball Association's (NBA) health and safety protocols.

The 35-year-old Milwaukee Bucks guard is not seen as a key player - he has not scored more than three points in four games since he joined on Dec 3.

But grief turned into motivation, and a performance that honoured his grandmother as he scored a season-high 16 points to help the Bucks beat the Houston Rockets 126-106 to end a two-game skid.

"It meant the world to me because my grandma meant the world to me," he said on ESPN.

"What brought her the most joy was watching me play. There was no doubt. I knew what I had to do."

Matthews shot six of seven overall and four of five from three-point range as he returned to action after a five-game absence.

"I didn't know what to expect, what kind of emotion," he added.

"The main thing is she just wanted me to hustle and work. That's what I was going to do. Whether I made the shot or didn't make the shot, I was going to leave everything out there because I know what brought her joy. I'm hoping we did that tonight with a win."

Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer had only praise for Matthews.

He said: "He's one of the ultimate warriors I've ever been around...

"That's one of the more impressive things I've seen in a long time, for a lot of reasons."

The Bucks were missing their star Giannis Antetokounmpo for a fourth straight game as he remains in the health and safety protocols, along with teammates Bobby Portis and Donte DiVincenzo.

In their absence, Khris Middleton eclipsed 20 points for the eighth time in his last nine games as Milwaukee improved to 20-13.

Middleton had missed the last three games with a hyperextended left knee but was strong on his return, posting 23 points on seven-of-17 shooting.

Jrue Holiday paced the Bucks with 24 points and 10 assists, and DeMarcus Cousins and Jordan Nwora each chipped in 18 points.

Christian Wood led Houston with 20 points and 11 rebounds on six-of-13 shooting.

The Rockets (10-22) had more than half of their shots from three-point range (45 of 86) but made only 28.9 per cent of their attempts from beyond the arc.

"Their defence is proven," coach Stephen Silas said. "That's what they do. They take away the paint."

Elsewhere, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum sparked the Boston Celtics over the Cleveland Cavaliers, but it was the return of their new 40-year-old teammate Joe Johnson that stole the show.

Brown scored 34 points to lead the Celtics past the visiting Cavaliers 111-101 while Tatum added 18.

With Boston having seven players in Covid-19 protocols, they turned to 17-year NBA veteran Johnson - who had not played in the league since 2018 - and 15-year NBA guard C.J. Miles to fill out the roster and provide some wisdom to their current superstars.

Johnson, who was drafted 10th overall by the Celtics in the 2001 NBA Draft, managed only two points in two minutes on the court but received huge applause for his comeback efforts.

He said: "It's great to be back here 20 years later."

REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE