Milwaukee Bucks: Takeaways from 137-129 win over Portland Trail Blazers

Crashing the glass

With the Blazers running out a makeshift lineup to make up for the absences of superstar Damian Lillard, Hassan Whiteside and others, the Bucks’ size, athleticism, and energy on the glass resulted in quite the disparity in the possession battle.

Milwaukee outrebounded the Blazers 58-41 on both ends of the floor, which helped the Bucks tie their season-high in that department for a single game.

While dominating on the defensive glass has been one of the Bucks’ many fortes this season, it was their ability to generate reloads on the offensive end that helped tip the scales even further in their direction. The Bucks pulled down 18 offensive rebounds and through that, they were able to generate 27 second chance points, with both figures also standing as season highs.

Antetokounmpo led the way in that regard by snaring down four offensive boards, but it was truly a collective effort for the Bucks as all players outside of Brook Lopez were able to snag a second effort during the tilt, at a minimum.

From that perspective, it gave the Bucks’ performance a different wrinkle and the ability to work the offensive glass will certainly come in handy for the Bucks come playoff time many months from now.

The Bucks will look to compile their seventh straight victory when they host the Detroit Pistons Saturday night for a 7.30 p.m. CT showdown at Fiserv Forum.