Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo struggled mightily in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, finishing with 22 points on 7-of-21 shooting. It paved the way for the Boston Celtics to steal a 112-90 victory.
It was one of the worst offensive performances in Antetokounmpo's six-year career, which caught everyone by surprise considering how dominant he was in the regular season and the first round of the playoffs against the Detroit Pistons.
This was the first time in his career that Giannis took more than 15 shots inside the arc and made less than 5; and his worst career shooting performance with at least 20 FGA, per @bball_ref. Will have a full breakdown coming soon on @TheAthleticBOS.
— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) April 28, 2019
Aside from Khris Middleton's 16 points, the rest of the Bucks' starters were non-factors on the offensive end. Brook Lopez, Eric Bledsoe and Sterling Brown only managed to produce a total of 12 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Reserve forward Nikola Mirotic scored one more point than those three.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks looked out of sync right from the beginning, trailing 26-17 at the end of the first quarter. They were able to end the first half only down by two, but they were unable to sustain the momentum in the second half.
For Milwaukee to get blown out in their own home floor is very uncharacteristic, as they've played well in Fiserv Forum throughout the course of the regular season. But in a surprising turn of events, the Celtics — an average performing team on the road — stole a game away from the Bucks.
Now, the Bucks are facing a must-win situation, as they cannot afford to go down 0-2 in the series, especially since Games 3 and 4 will be played in Boston.
Game 2 will be on Tuesday, April 30.
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