The Trail Blazers’ spirited performance leads to victory over Lillard and Bucks

Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard missed a three-point shot from an angle as time expired Saturday night, leading to a 105-102 win for his former team, the Portland Trail Blazers.

Anfernee Simons defended Lillard on the play and forced his mentor into an off-balance shot that left the Bucks down three points.

“I didn’t like Dame hitting his shot at the end of the game,” Blazers coach Chauncey Billups told reporters at Fiserv Forum. “Of course my heart stopped for a second. I’ve seen this movie way too many times.”

Lillard told reporters he believed the shot had a chance of going in and that it could have caused a foul on Simons.

“When I got up, it felt good coming out of my hands,” Lillard said. “I actually thought it would go in. And I felt it hit my legs. So I figured if this could be a four-point game, then maybe that would be a game.”

Moments earlier, Simons, who led the Blazers with 28 points (23 in the second half), scored on a drive to the basket, was fouled and converted the three-point play to put his team within 103-102 with 23 seconds left to take the lead clock.

On the Bucks’ next play, Lillard dribbled toward the top of the key before attempting to pass to Bobby Portis in the left corner. However, Portis had already moved toward the basket, causing Lillard’s pass to go out of bounds and onto the Bucks’ bench with eight seconds left.

The Bucks fouled Simons with 5.4 seconds left and he made both free throws to extend Portland’s lead to 105-102, leading to Lillard’s final shot.

“What a win for our guys,” Billups said.

Lillard, often guarded by Blazers forward Toumani Camara, shot just 5 of 15 from the field and 2 of 7 on three-pointers, finishing with 16 points.

Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 31 points and 11 rebounds.

Deni Avdija scored 19 points with 14 rebounds but committed seven turnovers. Shaedon Sharpe added 16 points.

The Blazers committed 18 turnovers but shot 48.2% from the field and a solid 36.1% from three-point range. Those numbers held up as Portland’s defense held the Bucks to 43.2% shooting, including 31.7% from long range.

Lillard was hot, scoring 10 points in the first quarter, giving the Bucks a 31-28 lead. However, he remained scoreless in the second quarter, won 26:20 against the Blazers and took the lead 54:51 at halftime despite ten turnovers. The Blazers had eight second-chance points on five offensive rebounds, compared to zero second-chance points for the Bucks, who didn’t have a single offensive rebound.

The Blazers continued to play well in the third quarter, building a nine-point lead thanks in part to Simons’ 11 points in the quarter.

However, the Bucks ended the quarter with a run, capped by Ryan Rollins stealing the ball from Deni Avdija and scoring a layup at the buzzer to cut the Blazers’ lead to 76-75.

The Blazers built a seven-point lead in the fourth quarter, but the Bucks came back.

Antetokounmpo made two free throws to give the Blazers a 102-100 lead with 32 seconds left, leading to Simons’ go-ahead three-point play.

Billups praised his team for defeating the Bucks 55-43. The Blazers entered the night averaging 43 rebounds per game (22nd in the NBA).

“I thought our rebounding today was elite and at a high level,” Billups said. “We did a really, really good job on the glass, which gives you the opportunity to go out and try to get shots.”

WHAT IT MEANS

The Blazers (12-22) were 1-1 and 2-1 in their five-game series against former superstar Damian Lillard.

The Bucks (17-16) have lost four of their last five games.

Next

The Blazers play at the Detroit Pistons (17-18) on Monday at 4 p.m.