Rapid Recap: Bucks 102, Trail Blazers 105

AJ Green’s 21 points in his return aren’t enough as the Bucks drop second straight

The Milwaukee Bucks lost their fourth game in their last five to teams under .500, losing to the now 12-22 Portland Trail Blazers, 105-102. Giannis had 33 points and 11 rebounds and keeps up his streak of shooting over 50% from the field. Anfernee Simons scores 28 for the Trail Blazers in the win.

NBA.com Box Score

Game Recap

It was another slow start for the Milwaukee Bucks, with them falling behind 11-5 just five minutes into the game, missing six of their first eight shots from the field. After that initial blow from the Trail Blazers, the Bucks responded with a quick 7-3 run, bringing them back within two points and forcing a timeout from Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups. The two squads stayed neck and neck with each other throughout the rest of the quarter, with the Blazers only going up by as much as five points. After a Bobby Portis layup brought them back within one, the Bucks scored the next seven points to take a two-point lead with 12 seconds left. Deni Avdija went coast-to-coast for a layup with five seconds left, but Damian Lillard did what he does best, drilling a buzzer-beating three to end the quarter with the Bucks up by three, 31-28.

It was safe to say that Milwaukee missed having AJ Green in the lineup, especially during the second quarter. The former two-way player got hot from beyond the arc, hitting three of the four threes he took during the frame. He even made up for a three-pointer that was later called off because he stepped out of bounds (editor’s note: he did not look out of bounds, a costly potential error in a game decided by three). Neither side gained much of an edge, with the largest lead being just four points by the Blazers. The Bucks would take a 51-49 lead with 59 seconds left, but a layup from Deandre Ayton and a three from Avdija with five seconds on the clock left the Bucks down three entering the locker room, 54-49.

It was an ugly start for Milwaukee to begin the second half. Portland started the third on a 12-6 run to balloon their lead to nine with 7:47 left in the quarter. Then the Bucks slowly started to chip away at the lead for the rest of the stanza, starting with back-to-back buckets from Andre Jackson Jr. A 12-4 response from the Bucks over five minutes and 48 seconds brought the Bucks back within one point. Avdija wouldn’t have another chance to end a quarter with a basket, as Ryan Rollins poked the ball away and barely laid it in to beat the buzzer, giving the Bucks a 76-75 lead going into the fourth quarter.

After coming out up one to begin the frame, things quickly shifted against the Bucks. With 8:19 to play, they found themselves down by seven after Avdija’s third three-pointer of the night. As has happened many times before, once Giannis came into the game, things switched for the Bucks, as they went on a 10-2 run to give Milwaukee the lead back 94-93. Portland’s talented backcourt of Simons and Sharpe responded to give the Trail Blazers the lead back with a layup from Sharpe and Simons’ fifth three on the night. Those two buckets gave Portland a 98-94 lead with 3:54 left in the ball game. Things stayed knotted up until there was 23.5 left on the clock, when Simons hit an and-1 layup to give the Blazers a one-point lead, 103-102. After an initial pass was deflected with 16.2 on the clock, Lillard threw the next pass out of bounds with a miscommunication between him and Portis. Simons hit two more free throws and Dame’s last-second shot missed.

Stat That Stood Out

One play. That’s how much Brook Lopez has played in the fourth quarter of the Bucks’ last two contests. During their games against the Nets and Trail Blazers, the Bucks have opted to go with Bobby and Giannis at center in both games. He did get in to try and rebound the second of Simons last second free throws, but it Simons hit both at the charity stripe.

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