NBA: Bucks off to up-and-down start

Bucks 115

Raptors 105

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 36 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists to lead Milwaukee past Toronto on Saturday at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee in the first meeting between the teams since the Eastern Conference finals.

Eric Bledsoe added 14 points and five assists, and Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez each had 11 points for the Bucks (4-2).

The Bucks had the best record in the East last season and took a 2-0 lead over the Raptors in the conference finals, but Toronto took the next four en route to its first NBA championship.

In this rematch, Kyle Lowry scored a season-high 36 points and Pascal Siakam had 16 for Toronto.

Bucks 123

Magic 91

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 29 points and 14 rebounds and Milwaukee routed Orlando at Amway Center in Orlando, Fla. on Friday.

Eric Bledsoe added 18 points, six rebounds and six assists for Milwaukee, and Khris Middleton added 16 points and six rebounds.

Celtics 116

Bucks 105

Kemba Walker had 21 of his 32 points in the second half and Boston rallied to beat Milwaukee at TD Garden in Boston on Wednesday. Boston’s Jayson Tatum added 25 points, Gordon Hayward had 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Marcus Smart finished with 19 points and six assists.

Milwaukee dominated in the first half, leading by 19, but the Celtics responded in the third quarter, using a 26-7 run over the final 6:38 of the period to take an 80-76 edge into the fourth. Boston kept that momentum, beginning the final period with an 11-4 run to open a 91-80 lead.

Khris Middleton led the Bucks with 26 points. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 22 points and 14 rebounds, but the reigning MVP lost his composure late, picking up a hard foul on Smart and then a technical foul in the final minute.

Bucks 129

Cavaliers 112

Khris Middleton scored 21 points, George Hill added 19 and seven Milwaukee players finished in double figures in a win over Cleveland at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on Oct. 28.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 14 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in 29 minutes, Pat Connaughton added 17 points, Brook Lopez 16, and Wesley Matthews and Eric Bledsoe each finished with 14 points for Milwaukee.

Heat 131

Bucks 126 (OT)

Goran Dragic scored 25 points off the bench, Bam Adebayo added 19 points and the Heat rallied from a 21-point third-quarter deficit to beat Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in overtime at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on Oct. 26.

Antetokounmpo finished with 29 points, 17 rebounds and nine assists, but last season’s MVP also had eight turnovers and fouled out with 2:31 to play in overtime.

After trailing 74-53 with less than 11:00 to play in the third quarter, the Heat outscored Milwaukee 78-52 the rest of the way, including 49-33 in the fourth quarter and overtime.

Bucks 117

Rockets 111

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 30 points and had a triple-double before fouling out and his supporting cast held on to lead the Bucks to a season-opening victory over the Rockets on Oct. 24 at the Toyota Center in Houston.

Antetokounmpo, the MVP last season, fouled out with about five minutes remaining. He had 13 rebounds and 11 assists.

Brook Lopez made two free throws with about a minute left before a layup by Russell Westbrook. But Lopez made a fadeaway shot to leave Milwaukee up 115-109 with 39 seconds remaining. James Harden added a pair of free throws before Ersan Ilyasova made a jump shot with about 15 seconds to go that sent many fans heading to the exits.