milwaukee — The only reason Sunday’s game between the Milwaukee Bucks and the lowly Portland Trail Blazers is circled on anyone’s calendar is because of Damian Lillard’s corner. Instead, his first game against his former team will be remembered for the Bucks’ historic comeback with a 108-102 win.
Milwaukee’s 26-point comeback is the largest in the league this season, and the largest second-half comeback in franchise history.
“Sometimes we make things difficult for ourselves,” Giannis Antetokounmpo said. “We shouldn’t be down by 26 points and then try to win the game. It takes a toll on your body. But at the end of the day, I’m happy we were able to win. I’m proud of the players.” That kept their heads held high.
“What I do know is that we were able to do something like this, so now you have to take responsibility. Not to be down by 26 points, to have the other team call the first timeout, to come out in the first five minutes and assert yourself. “I know that as a team we can do it.” I hold myself, my teammates, the technical staff, and everyone to high standards. Like, man, next time the game starts, we gotta start right away.”
Early on, it was all the Blazers, getting into the paint at will and enjoying the Bucks’ turnovers. Add to that some strong three-point shooting, and they had a double-digit lead at the break, which they pushed to 26 at the start of the third quarter. With the Bucks asleep and the majority of the Fiserv Forum team, it looked like the Blazers were going to get their biggest win of the season.
After that, they simply stopped recording. From the top of their 81-55 lead with 9:09 remaining in the third quarter onward, they scored just 21 points on 7-of-36 from the field, turning the ball over seven times.
“Ever since the third quarter after the timeout, we made them feel uncomfortable,” Antetokounmpo explained. “I had them play one-on-one, because when you switch, you have to play one-on-one. We were guarding, the players were moving their feet, the players were being physical.”
The Bucks weren’t particularly great on the offensive end, but they clawed their way back into the game by getting to the free throw line — Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard combined for all 32 of the Bucks’ attempts — and hitting the ball hard. Shots along the stretch.
None was bigger than Antetokounmpo’s tip-in with 19 seconds left that put the Bucks ahead for good. Then the two-time MVP came up with a huge block on the other end to seal the win.
Antetokounmpo finished with 33 rebounds, 16 steals and six assists. In the process, he passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most games with 30 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in franchise history with 106.
“He’s one of the greatest players to ever play this game, and he showed it tonight,” Bucks coach Adrian Griffin said. “What can I say? He is an incredible leader, has a great will to win and is willing to do whatever it takes.”
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