Eric Bledsoe's playoff return marred by fouls, turnovers and misses

BOSTON - Eric Bledsoe's first playoff game in five years didn't go exactly to plan.

The Milwaukee Bucks point guard was hampered by foul trouble, fouled out in overtime, scored just nine points and didn't make a shot outside the paint Sunday. He also committed five turnovers and didn't make a steal in 33 minutes during the Bucks' 113-107 overtime loss to the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference playoffs at TD Garden.

Bledsoe's nine points marked just his fourth time scoring in single digits since the beginning of February, a stretch in which he averaged 19 points and shot 52.0% from the field and 40.4% on three-pointers over 32 regular-season games. Without his output Sunday, the Bucks struggled to get much going offensively outside of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton. 

RELATED: Magic fizzles out for Bucks in overtime of Game 1

BOX SCORE:Celtics 113, Bucks 107 (overtime)

NBA PLAYOFFS: Live scoreboard, box scores, standings, statistics

“I think the foul trouble kept it to bursts of minutes instead of longer stretches," Bucks coach Joe Prunty said. "From him we need him to be aggressive. … It’s more the aggressiveness to get in the paint and make plays, not only for himself but others as well. I want to see that defensively. He’s kind of the head of our snake in terms of the pressure he can put on our opponents, so we’re going to need to see some of that, too.”

Yet, despite all of that, Bledsoe still had a smile on his face in the locker room following the loss.

“It was great," Bledsoe said of his return to the playoffs. "I mean, it’s Game 1. It was a lot of fun out there for it being my first time (back).”

To be clear, he wasn't happy with the loss — no one was. It was a game the Bucks had chances to win but turned the ball over too many times early and failed to make enough plays in overtime.

And as for himself, Bledsoe recognized he never got into a flow. He missed his first two shots and was 1 of 4 at halftime with more turnovers (3) than points (2). Early in the third, he picked up his third foul and ended up playing just five minutes in that period.

When he got back on the court in the fourth, he was back on the bench again in 95 seconds as he turned the ball over stepping out of bounds, deposited a layup, was called for his fourth foul then picked up his fifth on an offensive foul 15 seconds later.

“No, but my teammates had my back," Bledsoe said when asked if he ever got into a rhythm. "Malcolm (Brogdon) played good, Khris. Even though I didn’t play well, I thought I did a great job on the defensive end besides that last play (in regulation).”

Milwaukee's last defensive possession in regulation was a doozy. Boston guard Terry Rozier used a crossover to get Bledsoe out of position then stepped back for a wide-open three-pointer that put the Celtics ahead, 99-96, with 0.5 of a second remaining.

That play would have been even more memorable had Middleton not stroked a 35-footer right afterward to send the game to overtime.

“I heard a play call and I was trying to play the stunt," Bledsoe said. "He did a great job of reading it and he made a big shot. But Khris had my back.”

Heading into Game 2, Bledsoe knows he's going to have to do a better job of avoiding foul trouble. Part of his value is his physicality on defense, but he can't be reckless and get called for touch fouls away from the basket.

"Obviously I’ve got to stop fouling, but I’ve got to let the player know I’m here at the same time," Bledsoe said.

His teammates know what he's capable of, especially having watched Bledsoe during a strong close to the season in which he played a major role in Milwaukee's 7-4 finish over the final 11 games. Brogdon is expecting big things from Bledsoe for Tuesday's Game 2.

"He’s a physical player, he’s a great defender," Brogdon said. "He’s going to be just fine. Honestly, he set the tone tonight with the refs. He’s going to play physical, they’re going to let him get away with a lot. … I think he’s going to be fine. I think he’s going to have a great game next game.”