Milwaukee Bucks: 3 takeaways from 134-106 win over Portland Trail Blazers

The Milwaukee Bucks answered the call to break their losing skid Monday night.

With a 134-106 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers at Fiserv Forum, the Bucks certainly exorcised the frustration that had built up over their recent road trip that ended on a sour note.

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They did so while displaying their usual firepower that propelled them past the Blazers during a game that they led for most of the night. Not a bad way to get back in the win column, that’s for sure.

So without further ado, let’s break down what all stood out in the Milwaukee Bucks’ victory over the Portland Trail Blazers from Monday night.

Takeaway no. 3 from win over Blazers – Milwaukee Bucks shut down Damian Lillard

Given all of the issues that currently exist for the Bucks on the defensive side of the ball, seeing a Blazers team come to town that features one of the best scorers in the game, Damian Lillard, was not the cure all one was looking for.

But as it turns out, the Bucks gave more than Lillard can handle as he and the Blazers’ total offense was kept in check, save for garbage time minutes.

Lillard certainly got his when scoring opportunities presented themselves by finishing with 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting (2-for-7 from three). But the Bucks’ aggressive defending in pick-and-rolls helped limit Lillard to his second-worst scoring performance of the season.

Of course, this is where Bucks guard Jrue Holiday shined as he was glued to Lillard’s hip both on and off the ball to prevent the Blazers’ leading scorer from getting into any sort of rhythm. But equal credit should be given to the Bucks’ bigs like Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis that met Lillard well beyond the 3-point line and gave him quite the crowd that he couldn’t handle alone, which garnered the praise from Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer.

This is certainly where the absence of Lillard’s backcourt running mate, C.J. McCollum, loomed large. But the Bucks play the team that’s in front of them and it helped them shut down Portland’s offensive attack.