Days after reigning finals MVP Kevin Durant stated that Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo has potential to be the best player the NBA has ever seen, the star forward helped the Bucks open up their season with a huge win against Eastern contenders the Boston Celtics.
The Celtics home crowd was red hot for the win from the jump with the TD Garden crowd being shown footage prior to the game of injured recruit Gordon Hayward who suffered a sickening leg injury in the first game of the season; letting them know he was OK and wished he could be there for the Celtics’ home opener.
The game itself however was a back and forth affair with neither team able to maintain a consistent run and both teams outscoring each other each quarter. With neither team being able to solidify themselves as the favourites from the jump, the game became a chippy affair with Bucks guard Matthew Dellavedova getting tangled up multiple times with Celtics guard Marcus Smart to the point they had to be separated.
Dellavedova did get better of the exchanges with Smart getting a technical foul for the play and with Dellavedova outscoring smart 15 to 12 points.
In what could be classed as a statement performance, Antetokounmpo put the league on notice with a dominating 37 points and 13 rebounds against a team looking to bounce back after their emotion packed first game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“We always hold the bar high for Giannis,” Bucks coach Jason Kidd said. “For his opening day performance he set the bar high now and we’re going to hold him to that.”
In what could be an MVP season for Antetokounmpo, the Bucks star has his focus on pushing his young team to finals success. “I think we’re capable of doing big things this year,” Antetokounmpo said. “We’ve just got to stay focused, stay grounded … and try to have the same mentality. We’re the underdogs. We’re not a big market team, we’re not a big team, we’re young, so we’ve just to play with a chip on our shoulder and hopefully this season we can be one of the best teams in the East.”
For Boston they will be looking to get their team clicking on offense after their season plans would be in disarray with All Star Hayward likely missing the season.
Boston will be looking for more from Kyrie Irving who underperformed in their home opener shooting a disappointing 7-25 with 2-7 from behind the arc finishing with 17 points.
Boston will have their opportunity this Saturday to get a notch in the win column with their next game against the youthful 76ers. The Bucks however will be tested against the all star loaded Cavaliers on Saturday 21st.
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