Bucks beat Trailblazers 95-88. Bucks Grades and Reactions.

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Reactions: The Good

Where do we begin? Kenyon Martin’s elevated play seems like a good place. Here he is annihilating a Will Barton lay up attempt.

Yikes. Martin did this too

I can’t go any further without mentioning Giannis’ windmill dunk. If ever one was to feel empathy for a rim, now is the time. Feast your eyes.

Notice how Khris Middleton had his own lay-up secured before passing it to Giannis. That’s a microcosm of what this Milwaukee Bucks team is all about–no player is greater than the team. Middleton knew Giannis would generate more agape faces with his supernatural talent than a generic lay-up ever would. So he gave it up. Fueled by one of the more lively crowds of the season the Bucks never looked back. Our own Antony Ludwig gave a nice in-depth look at Middleton’s overall game that you can find here.

I’m ready to eat some crow on the whole Kenyon Martin signing. K-Mart had the most impactful two point performance that you will ever see. He dunked, he blocked, and he pumped up the hungry crowd. For a guy who wasn’t playing basketball Christmas Day, Kenyon Martin made a huge impact.

This game was won with defense. The Bucks limited the league’s seventh-best offense to 88 points (Portland averages 102.4), while scoring 95 of their own points on the league’s seventh ranked scoring defense. The Bucks also forced sixteen turnovers, including eleven steals.

The Bucks have beaten three of the Western Conference’s current top four teams: Memphis, L.A. Clippers, and now Portland. This season keeps getting better and better.

Next: Reactions: The Bad