Bucks 108, Trail Blazers 102: Giannis, Portis spark big second-half comeback

Bobby Portis didn’t lead the Bucks in scoring. He didn’t lead them in rebounding. He didn’t make the game-winning shot.

But the would-be Mayor of Milwaukee sparked a fourth quarter that saw the Bucks rally from a 15-point deficit to overtake the lowly Portland Trail Blazers, 108-102, in a matinee at Fiserv Forum on Sunday. The Bucks improved to 12-5 while the Trail Blazers dropped to 4-12.

The Buck trailed by as many as 26 in the third quarter before beginning the long march back – a journey that began with Giannis Antetokounmpo lighting the fire. Portis then added the fuel, beginning with two offensive rebounds that led to a bucket followed by back-to-back three-pointers and capped off with an assist to Damian Lillard to pull the Bucks within a point.

A few moments later, Lillard would tie the game and eventually clinch it with a pair of free throws with 10.2 seconds left.

BOX SCORE: Bucks 108, Trail Blazers 102

Portis scored 12 points and had eight rebounds off the bench but that roughly 90-seconds stretch in the middle of the fourth quarter was key for the Bucks to prevent a bad loss to a bad team.

“Just bringing heart,” Portis said of that stretch. “I had nothing going on for me. I was missing layups. Missing shots I normally make. But one thing I always rely on is effort, whether I’m making shots or missing I give my all on a daily basis. When I step out there I’m 110% in. That’s one thing nobody can take from me no matter what. I play hard, I play with all heart.”

It was the second-largest second-half comeback in franchise history. They came back from 27 against Chicago on Nov. 26, 2012.

"Sometimes we just make it tough on ourselves," Antetokounmpo said. "Don't get me wrong, I think Portland is a very good team. Young team, play hard, big defenders, play the right way. But we just make it tough. We can start the game like that. We should not be down 26 and try to come and win the game. That takes a toll on your body. But at the end of the day I'm happy that we were able to win. I'm extremely proud of the guys that played, kept their head up."

Antetokounmpo led the team with 33 points, 16 rebounds and six assists in nearly 40 minutes of action. Lillard had 31 points and was 13-for-14 from the free throw line. Malik Beasley added 14 and Brook Lopez had 10 and four blocked shots.

Jerami Grant had 22 points for the Trail Blazers and Malcolm Brogdon added 18 points and 12 assists. Deandre Ayton had 14 points and 13 rebounds in the losing effort.

Play of the game

Brook Lopez defended Portland point guard Malcolm Brogdon one-on-one out near the three-point line with the game tied at 102 and the Blazers looking to take a lead. Brogdon could not break down the 7-foot, 1-inch center off the dribble and in fact, Lopez briefly deflected Brogdon's dribble. Eventually the point guard made a move to the basket, but Antetokounmpo was there to help at the rim and Brogdon's attempt only met air and the Bucks forced a shot-clock violation.

It eventually led to an Antetokounmpo put-back off several Bucks attempts in the restricted area that gave the Bucks a 104-102 lead with 18.5 seconds left.

Portland’s hot first half put Bucks in a hole

The Trail Blazers had not done a lot well through their first 15 games, but the few things they do have been trouble spots for the Bucks all season. Portland came into the game as the seventh-best offensive rebounding team in the league and fifth in steals.

The Bucks’ defensive rebounding has gradually improved but they remained turnover prone, ranking seventh in the league in giveaways (13.4 per game). Portland managed 14 second-chance points on 11 offensive rebounds and scored 27 points off 17 Bucks turnovers – including 20 in the first half that saw the Trail Blazers take a 68-52 lead.

Portland came in as the league’s worst three-point shooting team (32.4%) and second-worst shooting team overall (43.4%). Not surprisingly, they ranked dead last in scoring (104.4 points per game). Yet, that flipped entirely on its head Sunday.

The Trail Blazers made 58.8% of their three-pointers in the first half (10 for 17) and 52.1% of their shots overall (25 for 48) to lead by as many as 18 in the opening 24 minutes.

“I think, maybe it was a little bit of communication but also just being able to keep guys in front," said Bucks wing Andre Jackson Jr. "There’s a couple times where we just (gave up) straight line dribble to the rim. One time I was guarding Malcom Brogdon and he drove me straight line drive left and I didn’t give him the extra bump. Those extra efforts I think definitely helped us in the second half, just making multiple efforts and just continuously making the extra efforts to try to get the loose balls, box outs and stuff like that.”

Portland’s defense hasn’t been as terrible, as they were middle-of-pack in allowing 113 points per game (No. 15), but Milwaukee’s top 10 offense cratered in the opening half. The turnovers didn’t help, and they made just 6 of 21 (28%) from behind the three-point line. And, the bench was largely ineffective (five first half points on 2 of 10 shooting).

“I think we started out the game OK," Griffin said. "I just think that we just gotta keep fighting through adversity. Sometimes when we miss a shot or maybe we miss a layup, it becomes deflating to our team. But that stuff happens. We just gotta keep fighting through it and try not to let one possession turn into three, four, five, six possessions. I love this team. We’re a gritty team. And we just gotta stay together. There’s a lot of expectations on our team and I think they’ve been handling it well. But sometimes things happen. It’s never going to be perfect and we gotta stick together and we gotta keep fighting and I thought we did that. I thought we showed what we were made of.”

The Trail Blazers didn’t really cool off until late in the third quarter, as their percentages finally dipped below 50% - and they scored just 20 points in the third. But the Bucks kept turning the ball over – particularly on drive-and-kicks – which allowed the Trail Blazers additional chances to keep their lead into the fourth quarter.

Did you notice?

With just under two minutes left in the first quarter, Lillard switched onto Portland rookie Scoot Henderson. It was a one-on-one matchup in front of the Portland bench of the past and present (and future) for the Trail Blazers, as their drafting of the 19-year-old Henderson at No. 3 helped push Lillard to ask for a trade out of Portland. On this particular play, Henderson stepped back and knocked down a three-pointer over Lillard.

Henderson had been hampered by an ankle injury and came off the bench on Sunday but he showed why he was such a highly regarded prospect coming out of the G League with an 13-point effort on 5-of-10 shooting.

Damian Lillard faced Trail Blazers for first time

The 33-year-old point guard faced his old team for the first time since an offseason trade sent him to Milwaukee, but Lillard said before the game that it wasn't reunion that would hit him hardest – that will come with the Bucks travel to Portland on Jan. 31.

He did not speak to the media after the game but said Friday, “I thought I would be anticipating it more but I’m not really caught up into it."

He helped send his old team home with a loss with some clutch plays -- and free throws -- late that helped offset a rough shooting night (7 of 21). Lillard finished with 31 points, and though he made just 4 of his 12 three-pointers, he knocked down one that completed the 26-point comeback to tie the game at 97.

Lillard spent 11 years in the Pacific Northwest and is the Trail Blazers’ all-time leading scorer. He also earned a spot on the NBA’s Top-75 team while in Portland, winning rookie of the year and making seven all-star and all-NBA teams.

“Them coming here don’t even feel like; it feels like another game where I’m going to see people I used to spend a lot of time with,” he said. “The team is really different. Obviously the staff is the same that I played for the last few years but it’s not; I don’t think it’ll be like a big deal or nothing like that. Like it will be when I go back to Portland.”

Portland head coach Chauncey Billups said he caught up with Lillard on Saturday night and a little bit during warmups on Sunday.

"It's obviously weird for me game-planning for; to go against Dame," Billups said. "So, it'll be a little different for all of us."

Five numbers

2 Challenges by the Bucks. Adrian Griffin used his challenge on an out-of-bounds ruling with 5:17 to go in the third quarter when the team was trailing 83-67. He was successful, giving him one more -- which he needed when Antetokounmpo was whistled for his sixth foul with 14.6 seconds left in regulation on a Brogdon drive. Griffin challenged, and he was successful.

Antetokounmpo: You want to send him left. He's a hard right driver. He goes all the way, he kind of baits you that he's going to go left and then goes quick to his right. Now, I knew that. But it's kind of a shady play because I want to contest the shot because -- I think we were up two at that point -- you want to contest the shot if he shoots the three. He's a great shooter. But at the same time you don't want to give him so much space to drive to the hoop. And when he drive to the hoop he has such a great touch you can foul him easily. I'm happy that God blessed me with length and I was able to get my fingers on the ball and get the block."

3-1 Bucks record in games without Khris Middleton. This is the first game Middleton missed that was not on a back-to-back.

3-5 Bucks record when trailing at halftime.

4:14 Minutes played by Thanasis Antetokounmpo with just over five minutes left in the first half and the Bucks down 56-42.

107 Career games of at least 30 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists for Antetokounmpo, passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (106) for most in franchise history with that stat line.

Griffin: He’s one of the greatest players to play this game and he showed it tonight. We were kind of dead in the water, searching, trying to find some momentum. I thought it was a gritty win, everyone coming in the game just kept competing, kept fighting but Giannis just – what can I say? He is just an incredible leader, just has a great will to win and willing to do whatever it takes.

Khris Middleton out with Achilles tendinitis

The Bucks suffered a blow during their victory over Washington on Friday when Khris Middleton left the game just after halftime with tightness in his left Achilles tendon. While imaging was not needed that day, he was immediately ruled out for Sunday’s contest with tendinitis.

"No timeline (for a return), just day-to-day and see how he responds treatment," Griffin said. "I think things are promising."

When asked if Middleton could be back for Tuesday's In-Season Tournament game in Miami Griffin added, "We'll see. Again, just keep evaluating him every day and he's getting daily treatment and we'll see how he feels each day."

Middleton appeared to be moving well and politely declined comment before the game, noting he was heading to treatment.

Middleton looked as if he might be advancing through his season-long minutes restriction on Nov. 22 in Boston when he played 28 against the Celtics. He had been hovering around 20 for the first 12 games he had played.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Bucks 108, Trail Blazers 102: Giannis, Portis spark big comeback