The Milwaukee Bucks started their 2020-21 season with a tough, heartbreaking loss to the Boston Celtics Wednesday night that saw them go 0-1 on the year.
What a heartbreaking loss to open the season for the Milwaukee Bucks against the Boston Celtics.
With Milwaukee holding a 120-119 lead with just under eight seconds to go, Boston’s Jayson Tatum hit them with a gut-punch as he banked in a 3-pointer to take a two-point lead with 0.4 seconds to go in regulation. Giannis Antetokounmpo received the opportunity to tie the game at the free-throw line after a late foul on the following possession, but went 1-of-2 and leaving Milwaukee with a 122-121 loss to open their season.
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Although it ended in defeat for Milwaukee, this was a thrilling game to watch from start to finish.
As the Bucks will return home and look to bounce back against the Golden State Warriors on Christmas, let’s dive into the three takeaways that stood out from their season opener against the Boston Celtics.
Takeaway No. 3 – Milwaukee’s bench struggled to produce
The Bucks retooled their roster substantially this offseason and completely overhauled their bench in the process. The additions of Bobby Portis, Bryn Forbes, Torrey Craig, and more appeared to be a significant upgrade compared to last year, but the group struggled to make an impact in the loss against Boston.
Milwaukee’s bench scored just 12 points on the night, which was led by Pat Connaughton’s six points and both Portis and Forbes had three points each, respectively. While it was refreshing to see head coach Mike Budenholzer did give his starters extended minutes to the starters, the lack of a scoring punch from the Bucks’ depth was too big too ignore.
Of course, the Bucks entered the night without their new sixth man, D.J. Augustin, who was sidelined with a calf injury. Along with that, Torrey Craig did not see any action as a hamstring injury had disrupted his time in camp and preseason. The absence of these two certainly hurt Milwaukee, and strictly looking at those who did play, the bench contributions were finite in Wednesday night’s game against the Celtics.
This second unit has the potential to be special for the Bucks, and hopefully, they can collectively offer more than what they did in the loss.
Takeaway No. 2 – Donte DiVincenzo looked fearless in the first half
After being promoted into the starting lineup to start the season, Donte DiVincenzo did not disappoint in the first half against the Boston Celtics. The shooting guard looked fantastic throughout the first two quarters and led the Bucks in scoring going into halftime with 13 points.
DiVincenzo’s scoring punch was substantial for the Bucks, and his electric 3-point shooting helped spark the offense. The guard shot 3-for-4 from behind the arc, with his lone miss coming in the form of a 55-foot heave at the second quarter buzzer. Shooting has been an area in need of improvement for DiVincenzo, and to see the guard shoot this effortlessly was something to applaud early on.
It was a different story for DiVincenzo in the second half, however. The guard spent a significant portion of the third quarter sidelined and failed to replicate that same impact he saw during the first 24 minutes. As the final buzzer sounded, he finished the game with 15 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals, having contributed very little in the latter half.
While it was a tale of two halves for DiVincenzo, this game was undoubtedly welcoming, especially after his comments regarding confidence at his media availability recently:
"“I got to be better, especially when we’re trying to make a run at a title. So I took that and had been working out with a chip on my shoulder just to get better. And then coming into this year, just mentally being able to handle ups and downs. It’s going to be an interesting season, so being able to stay level-headed, mentally focused, and just keep getting better everyday, that’s my main goal.”"
DiVincenzo’s strong shooting bodes very well for his confidence moving forward, and he surely made a strong impression despite the loss. Now, the guard will have to carry over the momentum moving forward and remain consistent on the offensive end.
Takeaway No. 1- Milwaukee’s leading trio is something special
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, and Jrue Holiday all looked stellar in their first regular season game together and combined to score 87 of the Bucks’ 121 points on the night.
Holiday looked fantastic on both ends to start and eventually finished the game with 25 points and three assists. Antetokounmpo struggled significantly in the early going of this game, but eventually found his rhythm and finished with a team-high 35 points on 13-of-26 shooting, which included going 3-of-8 from behind the arc. Middleton followed suit with the early struggles, but turned things around late and finished the game with 27 points of his own on 10-of-20 shooting.
It was a far from perfect night for these three in the loss, but it was unquestionably fun to watch. Holiday showcased that he can be the perfect complement alongside Milwaukee’s All-Star duo, and it will only get better as the chemistry continues building. With all three players seeing over 35 minutes on Wednesday night, that certainly provided them an opportunity to get more acquainted as Budenholzer hit on this after the game.
Giannis - 36 mins
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) December 24, 2020
Khris - 38 mins
Jrue - 38 mins
"In an ideal world, we're probably not going to play them that much, but certainly we need a lot from Giannis and Khris and Jrue. Their minutes may be more. We'll just see how the season plays out and we'll see what we need."- Bud
Whether these minutes can be sustained for Budenholzer’s stars remains to be seen, given his dependence on the Bucks’ depth. Nevertheless, while it was just the first game of the season, Milwaukee’s trio of Antetokounmpo, Middleton, and Holiday looked fantastic in their first regular season run together without a doubt.
The Bucks will search for their first win of the 2020-21 season when they host the Golden State Warriors on Friday afternoon for a Christmas Day affair at Fiserv Forum. You’ll be able to catch the game on ABC when it tips off at 1:30 p.m. central time.