After a rousing win over the Utah Jazz, the Milwaukee Bucks continued their road trip with a visit to the Portland Trail Blazers the following night.
Despite it being the second night of a back to back, the Bucks were favored to take down one of the youngest teams in the NBA and a team that is firmly rebuilding. However, it was clear that the Bucks were gassed, and they couldn't keep up with the athleticism and energy - a common problem - of one of the youngest teams in the association.
The Blazers secured a 125-112 victory, spoiling Damian Lillard's return to Portland and sending the Bucks back into the loss column. It was a poor effort from the Bucks, and things will not be getting any easier moving forward for a team that is still on the hunt for its groove this regular season.
The Milwaukee Bucks' schedule only gets tougher from here
With how tight the Eastern Conference is, the Milwaukee Bucks cannot afford to drop games against teams with a far worse record than them. That is exactly what they did against the Trail Blazers, falling to a team they are supposed to beat. Losses like this one can come back to bite teams, and with the sixth-hardest strength of schedule left this season, dropping a matchup like this certainly stings.
Sure, plenty of people could attribute the loss to the Bucks being on the road on the second night of a back-to-back and missing a few key pieces, but at this point, there are no excuses. If they wish to be among the true contenders, Milwaukee has to put these "bad" teams away. It's an issue they have had all season long, and it will certainly have an impact on their final record.
The loss to Portland was simply frustrating all around. Milwaukee ran out of gas early, and whenever they made a run, the Trail Blazers countered with one of their own. Deni Avdija led the way by scoring 30 points, making light work of every defender Milwaukee threw his way. Anfernee Simons also had very little trouble putting points on the board, tallying 25.
Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 39 points and 12 rebounds, but it was far from his best game due to puzzling decisions, Damian Lillard had 20 points on 17 shot attempts, and Khris Middleton, fresh off his best game of the season, finished with zero points for the second time in his past three games as he looked firmly lost on both sides of the basketball.
This loss is not the end of the world for the Milwaukee Bucks, but it is yet another ugly loss to a team who, on paper, was a very beatable opponent. The Bucks are already 0-8 against the top three teams in each conference, and with games against the Thunder, Cavaliers, Rockets, Knicks and Grizzlies still on the schedule, a January loss to the Blazers could be the difference between the NBA Playoffs and the Play-In as this team fights for positioning.
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