NEW ORLEANS -- Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo spent the first 46 minutes of Tuesday night's game against the New Orleans Pelicans filling up the box score with everything except his 3-point shooting.

In the closing moments, Antetokounmpo took care of that.

Antetokounmpo scored 24 points, including an open 3-pointer with 1:33 left, and Jabari Parker added 21 points to lift the Bucks to a 117-113 victory over the winless Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center.

Antetokounmpo missed his first five shots from 3-point range before his shot from long range made it 117-112 and essentially sealed the game.

"It just shows confidence that he believes he can make it, we all believe he can make it," Bucks coach Jason Kidd said of Antetokounmpo, who is in his fourth NBA season. "He made a big three for us. As a pitcher who gives up a home run, you have to forget what happened on the last couple, and he did. He showed the growth and he was able to step up and knock down a big three."

The Bucks (2-2) overcame another valiant effort by Pelicans forward Anthony Davis, who led all scorers with 35 points, including 17 of 18 from the foul line, and grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds.

Davis scored 50, 45 and 35 points in three of the Pelicans' four losses this year, and was not a happy camper about his team's defensive performance, allowing the Bucks to dominate in the paint 58-38 and shoot 48 percent for the game.

"We had too many mental breakdowns," Davis said. "We're not talking out there, and therefore, we have mental breakdowns, which leads to easy layups at the basket and open shots. We're not worried about the offensive part. We scored 113 points. It's defense where we've got to become better."

New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry, whose team stumbled out of the gate last season by losing 11 of its first 12 games, seemed at a loss to explain the Pelicans' defensive woes.

"At the end of the night, they got almost 60 points in the paint," Gentry said. "You've got to make them into a jump-shooting team. We can't keep playing from behind. We can't keep playing uphill all the time."

The Pelicans trailed 112-110 with 2:42 left, but Antetokounmpo hit a layup and the open 3-pointer in a 25-second span to give Milwaukee a 117-112 lead.

Earlier in the quarter, rookie guard Malcolm Brogdon drove to the left past E'Twaun Moore for a layup and three-point play, and Parker did the same thing against Dante Cunningham, strolling into the lane for another three-point play on the left side.

"We trust Malcolm when he's on the floor," Kidd said. "He's going to make some rookie mistakes, but he doesn't panic. He keeps playing, and every time he's on the floor, he gets better."

Parker said he tried to take advantage of his quickness and strength against Cunningham, who often seemed to be caught flat-footed against Parker's penetration.

"It's something I've got to use," Parker said. "I'm challenging myself in looking at the open play and not making it difficult for me."

Buddy Hield's 20-foot jumper gave New Orleans an 88-86 lead, but Milwaukee ran off 16 of the next 21 points to regain the lead 102-93 with 6:50 left. Antetokounmpo had a rebound follow and a dunk in the run. The Pelicans cut the deficit to 106-102 with a Davis layup and a 3-pointer by Moore from the right wing.

NOTES: Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry knows the NBA season is a marathon, but his team can't afford a second consecutive slow start. "When you're struggling and the season's first starting (it's tough), especially when we want to try to take care of business at home," Gentry said. "If you look at the three sports leagues, ours is the toughest place to win on the road, so you want to take care of business at home. The effort is there and the unselfishness is there. We've just got to execute and come up with some plays to get us over the hump." ... Gentry said F Anthony Davis is going to face a gauntlet of defenses. "Teams are probably going to double- and triple-team him, and he's done a great job so far of getting the ball to the right people," Gentry said. ... Bucks coach Jason Kidd said F Greg Monroe has adapted well to coming off the bench. "He gives us strength and depth," Kidd said.