Bucks 108, Celtics 100: Giannis Antetokounmpo stars in opener

Matt Velazquez
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Giannis Antetokounmpo drives the ball against the Celtics' Jayson Tatum (left) and Kyrie Irving (11) in the third quarter.

BOSTON - Giannis Antetokounmpo spent the whole night Wednesday carrying the Milwaukee Bucks. At the time they needed him the most, he decided to share the load with one of his teammates and it paid off in a major way.

With less than a minute left and the Bucks clinging to a two-point lead, Antetokounmpo got the ball in the post. He spun and found the Boston Celtics had shut off his path to the hoop. Instead of powering his way to the basket, he looked for the teammate he knew had to be open.

He found Matthew Dellavedova, who was all alone beyond the arc. Antetokounmpo fired out a pass and Dellavedova quickly uncorked a three-pointer.

Down it went, and so did the Celtics, 108-100, as the Bucks (1-0) scratched out a tough victory in their opening game at TD Garden. Antetokounmpo led all scorers with 37 points — tying Michael Redd for second-most by a Bucks player in a season-opener, four points behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 41 against Phoenix in 1972. The Greek Freak added 13 rebounds and three assists.

“We always hold the bar high for Giannis," Bucks coach Jason Kidd said. "For his opening day performance he set the bar high now and we’re going to hold him to that."

BOX SCORE:Bucks 108, Celtics 100

NBA:Live scoreboard, box scores, standings, statistics

Limited to two points in less than six minutes in the first quarter due to a pair of early fouls, Antetokounmpo attacked with purpose in the second. He made 5 of his first 6 shots in the period and led the Bucks with 13 second-quarter points as Milwaukee took a 58-53 lead into the break.

Then in the third, the Bucks offense went silent.  Milwaukee scored just 18 points in the period, committing five turnovers and missing all six of its three-point attempts.

Meanwhile, the Celtics (0-2) used a 16-4 run to leap ahead in the first six minutes of the third. Throughout the quarter, Celtics second-year forward Jaylen Brown put on a show for the sellout crowd at the Garden, pouring in nine of his 18 points, scoring inside and out, as Boston took a six-point lead into the fourth.

Following the Celtics' run, Kidd opted to replace Antetokounmpo with Mirza Teletovic. The Bucks held close until Antetokounmpo returned, but his time away proved critical as he got a word of advice from a teammate who didn't take the court Wednesday.

“When I was on the bench in the third quarter, Jet (Jason Terry) came to me and told me, ‘You’ve got to focus, you’ve got to got make plays, you’ve got to make sure we get the W tonight,’ " Antetokounmpo said.

In the fourth quarter, he did just that. Over the first 5 1/2 minutes, Antetokounmpo scored 11 points, attacking the lane for a pair of layups, two alley-oops — including one he threw down on Aron Baynes that will make all the highlight reels — and a nifty fadeaway. During that stretch, he assisted on the Bucks' only other basket, a dunk by John Henson.

The result was a tied game with 6:27 remaining.

Along with Antetokounmpo's dominance, the Bucks also clamped down on the defensive end. They held the Celtics without a field goal from the 7:12 mark of the quarter until there was 2:37 remaining, building a lead as large as seven.

“I think for us our maturity, you saw that tested tonight," Kidd said. "No one panicked. They made a run and we just kept our composure. We kept working the ball on the offensive end, but we had to get stops and we got stops when we needed to.”

Antetokounmpo played a central role in Milwaukee's 8-1 run to build that seven-point lead. He made an acrobatic steal and save to turn a Celtics fast break into a three-pointer by Malcolm Brogdon, the Bucks' first triple after missing their first eight of the second half. Moments later the lead bulged to seven before Boston made its comeback, necessitating the heroics of Dellavedova's three-pointer.

“It wasn’t a pretty game," Kidd said. "We missed some shots, we made some defensive mistakes but the guys played through them. I thought it was a great team win."

 

Antetokounmpo's performance and the Bucks' ability to finish provided an encouraging start to the season.

“I think we’re capable of doing big things this year," Antetokounmpo said. "We’ve just got to stay focused, stay grounded … and try to have the same mentality. We’re the underdogs. We’re not a big market team, we’re not a big team, we’re young, so we’ve just to play with a chip on our shoulder and hopefully this season we can be one of the best teams in the East.”

BEHIND THE BOX SCORE

Unsightly injury: The Bucks watched Tuesday's game between the Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers together. Less than six minutes into the game, nearly everyone looked away from the television when Celtics forward Gordon Hayward fell awkwardly, fracturing his left tibia.

“Just shock," Bucks guard Malcolm Brogdon said Wednesday at shootaround when asked how he and his teammates reacted. " As a basketball player, you don’t want to see people even turn their ankles. You just turn your head and you pray for him and wish him the best.”

According to Celtics coach Brad Stevens, Hayward is expected to make a full recovery. However, a timeline has not been established and Hayward reportedly went in for surgery Wednesday night.

Stitches for Monroe: Late in the first quarter, Bucks center Greg Monroe had to retreat to the locker room to receive treatment for a laceration by his right eye. He received four stitches and returned in the second quarter, finishing the game with 10 points and six rebounds in 17 minutes. His absence opened the door for John Henson, who earned the right to close the game and five points, six rebounds and four blocks.

From hot to cold: Khris Middleton got off to a strong start, scoring 13 points on 6 of 12 shooting in the first half. After that struggled, missing all five of his shots in the second half, including a rare airball on an open three, and committed four turnovers.

“Khris had a couple great looks," Kidd said. "I probably played him a couple minutes too long (43 1/2 minutes).”

UP NEXT

Teams: Cleveland Cavaliers (1-0) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (1-0).

When: 6 p.m. Friday.

Where: BMO Harris Bradley Center.

About the Cavaliers: Cleveland built an 18-point, but had to withstand a second-half push by the Boston Celtics to earn a 102-99 victory in the NBA season's opening game Tuesday. LeBron James carried the Cavaliers, scoring 29 points, grabbing 16 rebounds and dishing out nine assists. Kevin Love had 15 points, 11 rebounds. One of the most prolific three-point shooting teams in the league last season, Cleveland went just 5 of 22 (22.7%) from long range against Boston. The Cavaliers attempted at least 24 three-pointers in all but one regular-season game last season.