vs. Portland Trail Blazers, 11/21/19
As the Bucks were in the midst of building their eventual 18-game winning streak, Connaughton had his calendar circled for November 21 when the Bucks would host his former team, the Portland Trail Blazers.
Both teams entered the night far from full strength with the Bucks dealing with the absence of Khris Middleton while the Blazers were without superstar guard Damian Lillard, who missed the night because of the flu, as well as center Hassan Whiteside.
It was Connaughton who powered the Bucks’ bench production as he regularly took advantage of Portland’s hapless defending and lack of detail with plenty of movement off the ball to convert easy cutting finishes at the cup.
Not only that, but Connaughton gave us all a preview of his eventual appearance in this year’s Slam Dunk contest at last month’s All-Star Weekend in Chicago with a beautiful putback slam that’s been a regular sight throughout his time in Milwaukee.
Pat Connaughton GOT UP 😳 pic.twitter.com/QTUyh3F65u
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) November 22, 2019
The 27-year-old finished with a season-high of 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field (2-for-3 from three, 2-for-2 from the foul line), four rebounds, two assists, one turnover and was a +2 in over 21 and a half minutes.
While it was far from the Bucks’ most focused performance on the season, Connaughton did his part to help buoy their night on the way to victory.