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Jamal CollierSport365Day
BOSTON — Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo had made two unsuccessful attempts to drive past Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams on a possession midway through the fourth quarter on Sunday, so Antetokounmpo had to get creative.
He faked a shot to his left and then turned his body right, gathering his feet to throw the ball off the backboard to himself and slam home a two-handed dunk. His alley-oop to himself silenced the Boston crowd and put an exclamation point on a dominant performance by Milwaukee in a 101-89 victory in Sunday’s Eastern Conference semifinal series opener.
“I had the ball and I was like, ‘Oh crap, I’m going to get stuck,'” Antetokounmpo said after the game. “I threw it to the backboard and I’m lucky enough God blessed me with the ability to be able to jump and go get it again.”
Antetokounmpo’s dunk was a microcosm of the way Game 1 played out.
The Celtics made things tough for Antetokounmpo for the entire game — holding him to 9-of-25 shooting with five turnovers — but ultimately, he was too much for Boston to contain. Antetokounmpo recorded his second career playoff triple-double, finishing with 24 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists.
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It was the third-worst shooting performance of his playoff career, but Antetokounmpo still managed to become the first player in franchise history with multiple career playoff triple-doubles.
“They were showing help, being physical,” Antetokounmpo said of the Celtics’ defense. “Bringing the help. Being active. They were really good.”
However, despite his poor shooting performance, Antetokounmpo carried the Bucks offense. He accounted for 55 of Milwaukee’s points in part by getting his teammates open shots. The Bucks shot 12-of-18 (7-of-12 from 3) off of his passes, and 14 of those looks were uncontested, according to Sport365Day Stats & Information research.
