3 takeaways from Milwaukee Bucks’ nail-biting win against Chicago Bulls
By Dalton Sell
Despite an ugly shooting night, Bobby Portis still made his presence felt in last night’s win for the Milwaukee Bucks
After scoring the first points of the game by knocking down a 3-pointer, Bobby Portis gleefully trotted back up the floor. Unfortunately, he would not see much success with his scoring beyond that first bucket as Portis finished with 12 points on 5-of-15 shooting, including 1-of-7 from behind the arc. Despite his tough shooting night, this game was the perfect showcase of how the big man can impact games without his scoring.
Without Portis’ prolific rebounding, the Bucks do not win this game. The big man was a force on the glass throughout the game, having finished with 13 boards. His impact was particularly felt on the offensive glass, where he pulled down six boards in some crucial moments.
As the Bucks were down by two points with nine minutes in the fourth, a relentless Portis pulled down two rebounds on one possession before tipping in the basket, which tied things at 74. With just under seven minutes to play, Portis battled through a crowd of Bulls to fight for a rebound off a missed Milwaukee 3-pointer, being fouled in the process. That effort got the crowd chanting as Portis extended the lead to four points with a free throw from the foul.
Even when his shot is not falling, one can always count on Portis bringing energy and hustle onto the floor for the Bucks. He showed it last night, and his stellar offensive rebounding was a major reason as to how Milwaukee earned 19 second-chance points for the game. Considering they only won by four points, every board proved crucial.