National Basketball Association
Milwaukee 93, Portland 90
When: 10:00 PM ET, Tuesday, March 21, 2017
Where: Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
Officials: #10 Ron Garretson, #66 Haywoode Workman, #59 Gary Zielinski
Attendance: 19525

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Nothing came easily for the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night at Moda Center. The Milwaukee Bucks did all they could to make it so.

In the end, that was just enough to ensure the Bucks a 93-90 victory.

Khris Middleton had 26 points, and Milwaukee (35-35) scored the final six points en route to its ninth win in the past 11 games. Giannis Antetokounmpo added 22 points and eight rebounds for the Bucks, who are 4-1 on a six-game road trip that concludes Wednesday at Sacramento.

Damian Lillard scored 31 points and CJ McCollum added 21 for the Trail Blazers, who lost for only the third time in 11 outings. Portland (32-38) missed its final seven shots and did not score over the game's final 3:12.

"(The Bucks) played very good defense," Portland coach Terry Stotts said. "They were very active. They had good hands, good length. They were aggressive on pick-and-rolls. They made it tough for us all night."

The Blazers shot 42.2 percent from the field and were only 4 of 21 from 3-point range.

"We focused on trying to take the '3' out of their game and have them make tough twos," Milwaukee coach Jason Kidd said. "The guys executed the game plan well."

Milwaukee also shot 42.2 percent from the field but was 7 for 16 from beyond the arc.

The Blazers had 10 of their 14 turnovers in the first half and were outscored 30-14 in the second quarter to go into intermission trailing 48-35.

The Bucks "do a great job causing turnovers, getting deflections, using their length and athleticism to cause trouble on that end of the floor," Lillard said. "But a lot of it was due to our own mistakes, making the wrong pass and that sort of thing."

Portland jumped to an 8-0 lead and increased the difference to 17-8. The Blazers took a 21-18 advantage into the second quarter.

Milwaukee scored the first seven points of the second period to go ahead 25-21. The Bucks built the lead to 48-35 at the half.

Antetokounmpo and Middleton each scored 15 points for the Bucks while Lillard had 11 points and McCollum 10 for the Blazers in the first half.

Milwaukee led 63-49 when Portland went on a 14-4 run to draw within 67-63 after three quarters. It was a battle the rest of the way.

The Blazers went ahead 88-85 on a pair of driving layups by McCollum.

Antetokounmpo's follow shot made it 88-87 with 3:27 remaining, but Lillard's jumper pushed Portland back on top 90-87 with 3:12 remaining. They were the last points the Blazers would score.

The Bucks scored six in a row, the last two on a follow by John Henson, to take a 93-90 lead with 1:39 remaining.

Portland wound up with the ball on the game's final possession. Lillard missed on a drive, but the Bucks knocked the ball out of bounds, and the Blazers got the ball with 6.4 seconds to play. Lillard's 3-pointer just before the horn sounded missed, and the Bucks prevailed.

"This was playoff atmosphere tonight," Kidd said. "It's tough to win here in Portland. The guys stayed together, showed discipline and trust at the defensive end. It was a great team victory."

And a very disappointing defeat for the Blazers.

"It wasn't a good game for us," said Portland center Jusuf Nurkic, who collected 11 points and 14 rebounds. "After a great start, it wasn't our night. We're going to get back to work, and get back to winning."

NOTES: Milwaukee F Giannis Antetokounmpo started 1 of 6 from the field but finished 8 of 21. ... The Blazers' bench contributed only 13 points on 4-for-21 shooting. ... Portland G Damian Lillard played his first game since being honored as Western Conference Player of the Week. Lillard scored a league-high 35.3 points while shooting .551 from the field and .594 from 3-point range and was 36 for 36 at the foul line as the Blazers won three of four games last week. In a Sunday win at Miami, he matched the franchise record by making nine 3-point shots. "Maybe the best shooting night of his career," Portland coach Terry Stotts said. ... Lillard missed two straight free throws in the first quarter, snapping a streak of 48 consecutive makes at the line. That was tied for third most in franchise history. ... The Blazers play 10 of their final 13 games at home. ... Portland C Jusuf Nurkic had his sixth double-double in a Blazer uniform ... F Terrence Jones, a Portland native, has played in only one game since signing a free agent contract with the Bucks on March 4.
Top Game Performances
 
Milwaukee   Portland
Khris Middleton 26 Scoring Damian Lillard 31
Malcolm Brogdon 4 Assists Damian Lillard 7
Greg Monroe 9 Rebounds Jusuf Nurkic 14
Giannis Antetokounmpo 6 Free Throws Made Noah Vonleh 4
Khris Middleton 2 Steals Damian Lillard 4
John Henson 3 Blocks Maurice Harkless 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Milwaukee 93 42.2 7-16 10-12 16 49 8 8 13
Portland 90 42.2 4-21 16-26 15 49 6 8 14
Upcoming Games
  • Portland will play their next game at home against New York. The Trail Blazers have a W/L % of .406 after a win and .500 after a loss.
  • Milwaukee will play their next game on the road against Sacramento. The Bucks have a W/L % of .486 after a win and .514 after a loss.