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.
With less than a minute left and the Bucks clinging to a two-point lead, Antetokounmpo got the ball deep in the post and immediately drew the full attention of the Boston Celtics. Instead of powering his way to the basket he kicked out to Matthew Dellavedova, who was wide open and uncorked a 3-pointer.
Down it went, and so did the Celtics, 108-100, as the Bucks scratched out a tough victory in their opening game at TD Garden. Antetokounmpo led all scorers with 37 points and added 13 rebounds and three assists.
The two teams went back and forth in the first half with the game featuring 12 lead changes and seven ties. Khris Middleton got off to a hot start for Milwaukee, scoring 13 points on 6 of 12 shooting in the opening two quarters, but the obvious star was Antetokounmpo.
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 3-point attempts in the process.
Meanwhile, second-year forward Jaylen Brown put on a show for the sellout crowd at the Garden, pouring in nine of his 18 points in the quarter as the Celtics turned things around to take a four-point lead into the fourth.
If Antetokounmpo hadn't taken over yet, he definitely did in the fourth quarter. He scored five of Milwaukee's first six baskets of the period and assisted on the other.
The Bucks also clamped down on the defensive end, holding the Celtics without a field goal from the 7:12 mark of the quarter until there was 2:37 remaining.
With 3:30 left and the Bucks up two, Antetokounmpo made an acrobatic steal and save to turn a Celtics fast break into a 3-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 3-pointer.
Kyrie Irving scored 17 points on 7-for-25 shooting for the Celtics.
