Giannis Antetokounmpo has been dominant, now he needs help from other Bucks

Antetokounmpo was able to finish with his usual array of athletic moves around the basket. In the third quarter, he nearly single-handedly kept the Bucks in the game, scoring 20 points while aggressively crashing the offensive glass. That was the most points for one player in a quarter in a finals game since 1993, according to Elias.

“I think he wants us to learn on him hard,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “He wants as much responsibility as we can give him. That’s part of what makes him great.”

But the box score was pretty ugly for the rest of the Bucks.

Jrue Holiday scored 17 points but needed 21 shots to get there. Middleton was non-existent for much of the night, finishing with 11 points on 5 of 16 shooting. Brook Lopez had a quiet night. Other than Pat Connaughton’s 14 points, the Bucks’ bench didn’t contribute much.

“I think we had a lot open shots that we didn’t make,” Holiday said. “I know me personally there were a couple of layups that I usually make that kind of rimmed in and out. I had some good looks.”

Budenholzer said he isn’t down on Holiday and Middleton, even if their first two games have been mostly mediocre.

“You always give credit to the defense,” Budenholzer said. “Those guys do a good job. There’s probably a few looks that they’ve got to go in, when you’re playing a good defensive team and you get a good clean one. Jrue was getting to the paint a lot. I liked his aggressiveness. I think we need all 3 of those guys. I think they just keep working, they’ll be good.”