Milwaukee Bucks: Takeaways from 137-129 win over Portland Trail Blazers
It was far from a convincing effort at times, but the Milwaukee Bucks got the job done Thursday night to beat the Portland Trail Blazers on the second night of a back-to-back.
Fresh off the road, the Milwaukee Bucks tallied their sixth straight victory by edging past the Portland Trail Blazers in a 137-129 win Thursday night at Fiserv Forum.
The Bucks came out firing straight away from the opening tip by burying their first seven shots on the night and establishing control of the game over the Blazers. Portland countered with a run of their own and uncomfortably hung around until a late scoring flurry from the Bucks gave them a 37-27 edge at the end of one.
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Milwaukee continued to score at will throughout the second quarter and led by as much as 16 at the 5:52 mark in the period.
Portland continued to put down buckets with little resistance on the Bucks’ part, but the Bucks held a 72-58 advantage going into the halftime break.
A general malaise set in for the Bucks throughout the second half as the Blazers gradually whittled away at their double-digit deficit. It did little to affect the Bucks’ offensive performance and they took a 107-98 lead into the final frame.
With all Bucks fans waiting for the squad to officially close the Blazers out in the fourth quarter, Portland had a different agenda on their mind as they turned up their comeback effort and came within 2 of the Bucks at the 7:35 mark in the period.
The Bucks promptly answered the warning call and launch some quick triples to gain enough breathing room from the Blazers that eventually gave them the cushion needed to secure their fourth home win of the season.
So without further ado, let’s break down what stood out in the Bucks’ win over the Blazers, starting with looking at the performance of Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.