3 takeaways from Milwaukee Bucks’ thrilling Game 1 win vs. Boston Celtics
By Dalton Sell
The Milwaukee Bucks got just what they needed from their role players as they took down the Boston Celtics in Game 1
Even with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday stuffing the stat sheet, the Milwaukee Bucks needed the supporting cast to hold their end of the bargain. Thankfully, they did, with several key members having played their roles against this vicious Boston Celtics team.
Grayson Allen, Pat Connaughton, Bobby Portis, and Jevon Carter all bulked up Antetokounmpo’s assist total for the ball game thanks to their shooting. When Boston’s defense swarmed him, the Greek Freak often kicked it out to the open shooter on the perimeter, and these four made them pay. Following his big series against the Chicago Bulls, Allen kept riding the hot hand as he buried 3-of-6 from deep en route to 11 points, while Connaughton knocked down two triples and also got a basket inside to score eight points. Carter sunk a 3-pointer off an Antetokounmpo pass in transition as he went on to finish with a game-high +/- of +25, while Bobby Portis knocked down two triples off passes from the two-time MVP, one of which put Milwaukee up by 15 in the fourth. When the Celtics are focused on slowing down Antetokounmpo, these players must be ready to get their share of open looks, and they capitalized in Game 1.
In addition to the outside shooting, the Bucks got some solid contributions defensively from their supporting cast. As previously mentioned, Wesley Matthews played relentless defense from start to finish in this one as he matched up against Boston’s most formidable stars. Allen finished with three steals as he remained active on that side of the basketball and helped the Bucks generate some offense off turnovers. Connaughton and Carter also provided some help as they pestered the Celtics individually, with Boston shooting 4-of-13 when defended by Connaughton and 0-of-5 when defended by Carter, per NBA.com/stats. While Antetokounmpo, Holiday, and Lopez paved the way, this group also played well on the defensive end to propel Milwaukee’s big day on that side of the basketball.
The Milwaukee Bucks will need the supporting cast to continue to step up throughout this series, starting with Game 2 Tuesday.
Next. 3 keys to the Milwaukee Bucks defeating the Boston Celtics in round two. dark
Be sure to catch the action at 6:00 p.m. CST on TNT.