NBA: Bucks kick off road trip by thrashing Blazers
Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks claps during the fourth quarter of the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Moda Center on February 05, 2022 in Portland, Oregon. The Milwaukee Bucks won 137-108. Alika Jenner/Getty Images/AFP
Bobby Portis scored a season-high 30 points and matched a career-best with six 3-pointers as the Milwaukee Bucks trounced the host Portland Trail Blazers 137-108 on Saturday night.
Giannis Antetokounmpo added 29 points, nine rebounds and six assists as the Bucks won for the sixth time in their past eight games. Khris Middleton added 14 points, seven assists and five steals as Milwaukee opened a four-game road trip with an easy victory.
Article continues after this advertisementPortis was 11 of 13 from the field while playing just 24 minutes, and the Bucks led by as many as 34 points while defeating the Trail Blazers for the sixth straight time and 10th in the past 11 meetings.
Bobby was scorchin' tonight. 🔥
30 PTS | 4 REB | 5 AST | 6-8 3PM pic.twitter.com/qonUUlvesy
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) February 6, 2022
Giannis works quickly tonight.
29 PTS | 9 REB | 6 AST pic.twitter.com/r3A8psC52X
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) February 6, 2022
Ben McLemore and Anfernee Simons scored 19 points apiece for the Trail Blazers, who lost their fifth straight game and seventh in their past eight. CJ McCollum added 17 points and six assists, and Jusuf Nurkic had 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Portland is 14-15 at home after opening the season with a 10-1 stretch at Moda Center.
Donte DiVincenzo added 10 points for Milwaukee, which shot 53.3 percent from the field, including 23 of 50 from 3-point range.
The Trail Blazers made 48.2 percent of their attempts and were 14 of 45 from long distance. Greg Brown III added 10 points.
It was a 15-point differential after Nurkic’s dunk with 10:14 left in the third quarter.
But the Bucks erupted with a 15-2 spurt with Portis’ 3-pointer making it 89-61 with 6:45 left in the period.
Simons hit a 3-pointer for the Trail Blazers before Middleton and Portis knocked down treys to make it 95-64 with 5:26 left in the third quarter. Milwaukee led 107-75 entering the final quarter.
Portis scored 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting as the Bucks held a 70-54 halftime lead. Antetokounmpo tallied 15 while Simons scored 14 for Portland.
Milwaukee led by 18 late in the first quarter before the Trail Blazers scored the final 10 of the stanza to trail 34-26. The Bucks again owned an 18-point lead in the final seconds of the second quarter.
