Bucks 115, Trail Blazers 107: Surviving the three-point blitz
The Milwaukee Bucks finally stopped the Portland Trail Blazers' three-point blitz.
When they did, the Bucks walked out of the BMO Harris Bradley Center with a vital victory on Wednesday night.
Milwaukee erased a seven-point halftime deficit to defeat the Trail Blazers, 115-107, before a crowd of 14,033. Giannis Antetokounmpo posted his second triple-double of the season (15 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists) and Jabari Parker paced the Bucks (11-9) with 27 points.
Portland hit just 5 of 18 three-point attempts in the second half after a sizzling start beyond the arc (12 of 22 in the first half).
Damian Lillard paced the Trail Blazers (12-11) with 30 points and CJ McCollum added 23, but Lillard was just 2 of 8 from the field in the second half and 0 of 5 from three-point distance.
"We made a change; we tried to put a little bit bigger body on Lillard," Bucks coach Jason Kidd said of switching Tony Snell on him in the third quarter. "I thought he (Lillard) was going to end up with 50, the way he was going and the way he was shooting the ball.
"When he's in that mode, I've seen enough of that where it's going to be hard to stop him. We tried to make it tough. We sent a couple bodies at him and we got lucky he missed some shots. That defense in that second half was one of our best."
Matthew Dellavedova had 17 points, including three key baskets late in the game to help the Bucks hold off a Portland rally. Malcolm Brogdon was perfect from three-point range (3 of 3) and had 13 points and three assists in 24 minutes. Michael Beasley contributed 12 points and eight rebounds off the bench and three Milwaukee reserves combined for 40 points.
Dellavedova hit consecutive floaters to put the Bucks ahead, 105-99, with 3 minutes left, after two triples by Allen Crabbe and one by McCollum had brought Portland within two points.
"We trust Delly," Kidd said. "There's never any panic; he's always under control. He's always trying to help his teammates. He didn't play a lot of minutes there (in the fourth quarter) but he's always engaged in the game and when you call his number he's always ready to respond."
The Bucks outscored the Trail Blazers, 34-18, in the third quarter to take an 85-76 lead into the final quarter. Then they survived Portland's last push.
"We were in that situation with San Antonio with it being a close game," Kidd said of the one-point loss on Monday. "We didn't turn the ball over coming down the stretch.
"This group tends to pay attention to their mistakes and quickly make the adjustment."
BOX SCORE: Bucks 115, Trail Blazers 107
Lillard was 5 of 8 on threes in the first half and scored 22 points as Portland took a 58-51 lead at intermission.
Parker had 10 points and three rebounds in the third quarter on the way to his fourth 25-point game of the season.
"He's JP right now," Antetokounmpo said. "He's in attack mode."
Antetokounmpo said he did not know he had a triple-double, the seventh of his career, putting him in second place on the Bucks' list and just one behind all-time leader Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The Greek Freak also had four blocks and two steals.
"I've got to figure out different ways to help my teammates, rebound the ball and play defense," Antetokounmpo said. "Try to be early in the rotations. Not focusing on just scoring; some nights it's not going to be there.
"It's a great win for the team. We're back in rhythm, where we want to be. Everyone did a great job; the bench did a great job."
THREE TAKEAWAYS
1. The brother vs. brother show did not materialize because Bucks center Miles Plumlee did not play. Mason Plumlee started at center for Portland and finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds in 33 minutes. Greg Monroe again was productive with 15 points and four rebounds off the Bucks bench. Kidd also credited Monroe with helping the Bucks guards defend on the perimeter and slowing down Portland's guard duo.
2. Beasley twisted his left ankle on a play in the fourth quarter but did return to the game. "It's sore but it's cool; it's not too bad," he said.
3. Kidd said he is concerned about his team's foul shooting and rebounding. The Bucks made just 25 of 37 free throws Wednesday and were outrebounded, 44-41. "We're making teams miss," Kidd said. "We've just got to rebound the ball. We've got to get in the top 10 in rebounding. If we can get better in that area, it's going to make our defense better." The Bucks rank eighth in rebounding (44.8 per game) but 18th in opponents rebounding (43.9).
UP NEXT
Teams: Atlanta Hawks (11-12) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (11-9).
When: 7 p.m. Friday.
Where: BMO Harris Bradley Center.
About the Hawks: Atlanta had lost seven straight games before beating Miami, 103-95, on Wednesday. Paul Millsap missed three straight games with a hip injury before returning against Oklahoma City on Monday. Millsap had 24 points, five rebounds and four assists in the Hawks’ 102-99 loss to the Thunder. Dwight Howard played only 19 minutes that night and finished with six points. In the previous game, the Hawks were crushed by the Toronto Raptors, 128-84, at the Air Canada Centre.