The Bucks kicked off their season on the home turf of one of the best teams in the league in the Boston Celtics.
The Bucks starters were:
Khris Middleton
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Thon Maker
Tony Snell
Malcolm Brogdon
The Celtics starters were:
Jaylen Brown
Jayson Tatum
Al Horford
Marcus Smart
Kyrie Irving
Khris Middleton started off the first quarter and the season on a great note, with a steal and a layup for Milwaukee’s first points of the season. The Bucks then went up 4-0, but the Celtics responded with an 11-2 run and found themselves up 13-9 midway through the first as the Bucks mostly could not buy a shot. From there, the teams traded baskets, although the Bucks were able to bring themselves back a bit as the first quarter ended with a 26-24 Celtics lead. Khris Middleton led the Bucks with 8 first quarter points, and Terry Rozier led the Celtics with 5. Middleton, Snell, and Brogdon all played the entire first quarter, with Giannis only logging 5 minutes since he picked up two early fouls.
The Celtics struck first in the 2nd, but the Bucks soon tied it up on an emphatic Giannis dunk. Marcus Smart then got into it with Matthew Dellavedova and John Henson when Delly blocked him pretty hard, but the scuffle was luckily short-lived, although Smart did earn a technical foul to help give the Bucks a 29-28 lead. The Celtics then ripped off an 11-4 run, but the Bucks stayed close and only found themselves down 40-42 midway through the second. From there, the Bucks found a bit of a rhythm with everyone contributing offensively, as they went into halftime with a 58-53 lead. Giannis led all scorers with 15 points (and all rebounders with 9 rebounds) on the strength of a few brilliant moves under the basket, with Middleton and Brogdon following with 13 and 12, respectively, and Rozier and Kyrie Irving leading the Celtics with 10 each. The Bucks outshot the Celtics 51%-46%, and were just outrebounded 22-23.
Giannis started off the second half with another great move in the restricted area, but the Celtics tied it up at 62 with a 7-0 run fewer than three minutes into the third quarter. The Bucks stopped the run, but the Celtics ripped off another 7-0 run in response and led 69-64 midway through the third. The Bucks scored four straight to stop the 14-2 run, and did enough damage control from there to claw their way back into the game and only be down 80-76 going into the fourth quarter. It was a mostly defensive quarter, but the Celtics won it 27-18. Giannis still led all scorers with a 21 point-10 rebound double-double, and Jaylen Brown followed him with 17 for the Celtics.
Giannis started yet another quarter with a great layup, and he really turned it on in the fourth quarter, with 10 points in the first six minutes. This, along with a 5-0 run, helped spark the Bucks to a hard-fought 91-89 lead midway through the fourth. The Bucks played some suffocating defense in the fourth, and despite not scoring very much themselves they held the Celtics to just one point in a several-minute stretch and found themselves up 97-90 with just under 3 minutes left. The Celtics responded by scoring five in under a minute, though, to draw within two. From there, the two teams traded baskets to make it 99-97 with a minute left. A Delly three put the Bucks up 5 with 45 minutes left, and a missed three from Kyrie all but shut the door for the Celtics. The Bucks went on to win the season opener with a closer-than-it-looked 108-100 margin.
Three Big Things
The Bucks Look Like An Experienced Team – It’s not so weird seeing Malcolm Brogdon and Thon Maker out there together now that they’re not rookies. In fact, the Bucks look like a more experienced, veteran team in general despite still being extremely young. Sure, the offense was incredibly stagnant at times and there were a few defensive lapses, but they really do look like they mean business on the court, and just did not panic when faced with several strong Celtics runs, unflinching to the point where they could counter the Celtics in the final minute and secure the win. Malcolm Brogdon especially showed that his rookie of the year season was far from a fluke, finishing with 12 points in the first half and 19 in the game, along with 4 assists.
Giannis Antetokounmpo – Despite starting slow, Giannis had a monster game, scoring 35 points in the last 3 quarters and finishing with 37 points on 13/22 shooting along with 13 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals. Giannis was putting in a lot of work early on with not so much to show for it, but he started getting results later in the game and was easily the biggest factor in the game tonight. His campaign to go from MIP to MVP is off to a great start with this one.
Terry Rozier – Terry Rozier was most responsible for the Celtics early leads, with 10 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists at halftime, good enough for team leader on all accounts. He finished with a very respectable (and eerily Khris Middleton-like) 15 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals. The third-year player has made strides since last season, and it’s clear that he will need to pick up a lot of the slack in Boston while Gordon Hayward rehabilitates.
Plus/Minus Hero
Malcolm Brogdon, Khris Middleton After the third quarter, Greg Monroe was the only player in the black at +7. By the end of the game, though, he had gone up to +9 while Malcolm Brogdon and Khris Middleton finished with +10. Monroe was key in keeping the Bucks in it during the first half, but Brogdon and Middleton were consistent all game in keeping the offense running smoothly. While Maker started both halves, he only played 13 total minutes to Brogdon’s 41 (!), showing that Brogdon will be an even bigger factor in the Bucks’ plans this season. Middleton bested Brogdon with 43 minutes logged (along with 15 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals) while no one else had more than 36, showing that their steady presences were crucial all game, so they are well-deserved season opener plus/minus heroes..
Gordon Hayward or no Gordon Hayward, this road win was a great way for the Bucks to start off the season. Their next challenge is even harder. Tune in on Friday at 6:00 PM CT to see the Bucks take on the Cavs in their home opener!