It's a start! Top pick Donte DiVincenzo plays his first game as a Buck

First-round draft pick Donte DiVincenzo played his first game in a Milwaukee Bucks uniform Thursday night at Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas.

Well, half a game — a regulation game, that is. Thursday's took two minutes longer than usual, needing an overtime period.

DiVincenzo, who missed Milwaukee's first three summer-league games due to a right groin strain, played 10 minutes before being shut down at halftime. He went scoreless on 0 of 3 shooting, including missing two three-pointers short, and collected two steals, two assists and a turnover in Milwaukee's 83-75 win over the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the summer-league tournament.

“I feel good," DiVincenzo said. "That was my first time really playing a game with those guys, so it felt good to get out there and get acclimated. ...

“I wasn’t worried about (rust) at all. I wasn’t really worried about my shot not falling or anything like that. I was just trying to make it easier for the guys that were already in the swing of things. I wasn’t trying to go in there and try to do my own thing.”

Milwaukee led for most of regulation, not falling behind for the first time until there were 2 minutes 38 seconds left.

The Bucks were able to play from ahead thanks in large part to Christian Wood's 26 points and 15 rebounds and D.J. Wilson's 19 points and 10 rebounds. It was Wilson, Milwaukee's first-round pick in 2017, who ensured the game would be the first of 58 in Las Vegas to reach overtime by tying the score at 75 with a banker off an inbound with 11 seconds left.

"They’ve been working the whole time," DiVincenzo said of Wood and Wilson. "They both have had great summer leagues and their confidence is through the roof, so we’re going to ride with that.”

After that, Travis Trice took over. The experienced point guard nailed a three-pointer on the opening possession of the extra period, then after a defensive stop knocked down a midrange jumper. He finished with 10 points.

Sterling Brown put the icing on the cake, getting his own offensive rebound late and burying a three-pointer — calling "game" while it was in the air — to put the contest at its final margin and conclude his night with 13 points on 5 of 18 shooting, including 3 of 6 from downtown.

The Bucks advance to the second round of the tournament and a game at 7:30 p.m. Saturday against the No. 30 seed Philadelphia 76ers, which upset the No. 3 Phoenix Suns. The second round marks the win-or-go-home portion of the tournament.

That's when DiVincenzo is expected to get his next shot — and possibly his last of the summer — and his first professional points. After taking this cautiously with a planned, limited run on Thursday, DiVincenzo may see more action Saturday.

"Hopefully I recover well and we increase it the next game," he said.

DiVincenzo jumped right in as a starter on Thursday and in the opening minutes drove the lane for his first attempt. It was a right-handed scoop that bounced away. 

He never found his rhythm as a shooter but ended his evening on a strong note. Late in the second quarter, DiVincenzo drove the right side of the lane with his left hand before turning and kicking the ball back out to the corner for Trice, who buried a three-pointer.

"I was spotted up and I was ready to catch and shoot, but my feet weren’t set and I saw they were closing out so I just dribbled and I saw Trav relocate to the corner right away," DiVincenzo said. "I just found him and he knocked it down.”

Thursday's win marked the first time the Bucks have advanced to the second round of the Las Vegas summer league playoffs since 2015, when the tournament had 24 teams.