It was an emotional Wednesday night for Blazer fans everywhere as many awaited Damian Lillard‘s return to Portland for the first time since being traded. What started as a heartfelt ceremony quickly turned into the most entertaining Blazer’s game so far this season.
It started with an introduction video pre-game to honor Dame that got fans reminiscing about the good old days. This led to a massive standing ovation when his name was announced in Milwaukee’s starting lineup.
The first quarter saw a high offensive output with both teams trading blows. Lillard had 8 early points to go along with 2 assists, including a highlight reel play where he somehow split the defense and side-stepped Anfernee Simons for an easy layup. However, his successor Scoot Henderson answered back scoring/assisting on 12 of the Blazers last 14 points of the quarter. Scoot had a little more pep in his step last night, like he had something to prove.
The game remained close throughout the second quarter, as the largest lead for both teams was only 4. The half ended with the Blazers leading 67-65 after DeAndre Ayton got a 7-foot hook shot to go. A game many thought was a “walk in the park” for the Bucks suddenly looked more interesting. The Blazers very clearly came to play, and they wanted to spoil Dame’s party.
In the second half we saw more highlight reel plays from both sides. Giannis Antetokounmpo came out of the tunnel imposing all of his 6-11, 242-pound frame on the Blazers. He scored 6 of the Bucks first 8 points including a massive dunk all over Jerami Grant. Then the Blazers caught a glimpse of the past, as Lillard hit his patented step-back three-point jumper.
Yet the Blazers continued to call every time the Bucks raised. Ayton, Brogdon, and Grant held their ground and combined to score 12 points in the 3rd quarter. Anfernee Simons finished the quarter with 7 straight points, and Portland found themselves with a 96-91 lead going into the 4th.
The 4th quarter is where things got interesting. The Blazers got stops and jumped out to a quick 10-point lead with 10:09 left in the game, which forced Doc Rivers and the Bucks to call a timeout. You could see the cracks were starting to show in Milwaukee’s armor. Lillard and Giannis were doing everything they could to claw back in and give themselves a chance in the end. After a Bucks run, Dame drove the lane and kicked it to a wide-open Brook Lopez who cashed in on a three. All of a sudden it was a 1-point lead for the Blazers, and many started to wonder if Damian Lillard’s return was going to include Dame-time.
Then one of the wildest sequences of the NBA season proceeded to occur. Simons made a bad pass which led to a loose ball scramble that ended going out off of Simons. Lillard missed a three. Then Simons lost the ball again after securing the rebound, which ended up in the hands of Lillard who threw a lob pass to Giannis for the alley-oop slam. The Bucks took a 116-115 lead with 37.2 left to play. Many fans began to wonder if “Ant” Simons, as many call him, just blew the most entertaining game of their season.
With 24 seconds left in the game, Ant got the ball. He waited patiently for the shot clock to tick down, as he didn’t want to give Dame any time to answer. Ant drove on one of the Bucks best defenders, Malik Beasley, and gave him a euro-step floater in the lane for the lead.
The Blazers hung on in the final 17 and got the 119-116 win after some questionable play-calling from Doc Rivers. And thus ended Damian Lillard’s return to Portland. It was an engrossing few days that led up to the game as reports came out that Lillard still sees a future where he goes back to Portland. Regardless, the day was all about Dame’s homecoming and fans in the arena and back home all got a thrilling game.
As for the Blazers and Bucks, this was the final time playing each other this season. The season series finishes split after the Bucks got the 108-102 win back around Thanksgiving. The Bucks currently have a 32-16 record and sit in 2nd in the Eastern Conference. The Blazers meanwhile sport a 15-33 record and remain second to last in the Western Conference.
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