Giannis gets creative, quiets C’s with triple-double

BOSTON — Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo had made two unsuccessful makes an attempt to drive previous Boston Celtics ahead Grant Williams on a possession halfway by way of the fourth quarter on Sunday, so Antetokounmpo needed to get artistic.

He faked a shot to his left after which turned his physique proper, gathering his ft to throw the ball off the backboard to himself and slam residence a two-handed dunk. His alley-oop to himself silenced the Boston crowd and put an exclamation level on a dominant efficiency by Milwaukee in a 101-89 victory in Sunday’s Jap Convention semifinal sequence opener.

“I had the ball and I used to be like, ‘Oh crap, I will get caught,’” Antetokounmpo stated after the sport. “I threw it to the backboard and I am fortunate sufficient God blessed me with the power to have the ability to soar and go get it once more.”

Antetokounmpo’s dunk was a microcosm of the way in which Recreation 1 performed out.

The Celtics made issues powerful for Antetokounmpo for your entire recreation — holding him to 9-of-25 capturing with 5 turnovers — however in the end, he was an excessive amount of for Boston to comprise. Antetokounmpo recorded his second profession playoff triple-double, ending with 24 factors, 13 rebounds and 12 assists.

It was the third-worst capturing efficiency of his playoff profession, however Antetokounmpo nonetheless managed to grow to be the primary participant in franchise historical past with a number of profession playoff triple-doubles.

“They had been displaying assist, being bodily,” Antetokounmpo stated of the Celtics’ protection. “Bringing the assistance. Being lively. They had been actually good.”

Nonetheless, regardless of his poor capturing efficiency, Antetokounmpo carried the Bucks offense. He accounted for 55 of Milwaukee’s factors partially by getting his teammates open pictures. The Bucks shot 12-of-18 (7-of-12 from 3) off of his passes, and 14 of these appears to be like had been uncontested, in line with ESPN Stats & Data analysis.

With Milwaukee lacking ahead Khris Middleton, and with guard Jrue Vacation in some early foul hassle, Antetokounmpo performed practically your entire first half, popping out of the sport for an prolonged stretch for the primary time within the third quarter after getting himself into foul hassle. The Bucks outscored the Celtics by 23 with Antetokounmpo on the ground and had been minus-11 when he was off.

“The persistence, preserve working, preserve working, preserve studying the protection,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer stated about Antetokounmpo’s efficiency. “The spacing round him has acquired to be nice and we have got to present him retailers. He simply retains studying the sport. Typically it is scoring, generally it is sharing it. He is aware of he is acquired to do each.”

And though they routinely see Antetokounmpo pull off the spectacular, his alley-oop to himself within the fourth quarter left his teammates in awe.

“It is elite,” Vacation stated, shaking his head. “I can not do this. I would not even take into consideration attempting it.”

Added Bucks ahead Bobby Portis: “Not too many phrases to be stated, to be trustworthy.”

The Celtics touted the No. 1 protection within the league through the common season and acquired by way of the primary spherical by smothering Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets. However after ending the common season No. 14 within the NBA in defensive effectivity, the Bucks have raised their defensive depth. They’ve the very best defensive score within the postseason thus far.

Milwaukee held the Celtics to 33.3% capturing general and saved them out of the paint, forcing Boston to attempt to win the sport with contested jumpers. The Celtics had been simply 3-for-20 when Antetokounmpo or Brook Lopez contested their pictures, and Vacation held Boston to simply 4-for-13 when he was the first defender, in line with ESPN Stats & Data.

“We’re enjoying arduous defensively. I believe we realized to ensure that us to be within the recreation, to ensure that us to win video games, we have got to protect,” Antetokounmpo stated. “Offensively, clearly considered one of our greatest scorers [Middleton] will not be on the market, so we all know that we have got to protect, and offensively we will determine it out.”

“On the finish of the day, if we do not guard, we do not have an opportunity of being within the recreation. I believe after Recreation 2 [against the Bulls in the first round] we had been like, we acquired to start out guarding. We acquired to take that delight defensively.”

Recreation 2 is Tuesday night time in Boston.