Fans of the Portland Trail Blazers had Wednesday night circled on their calendars since the start of the NBA season. It marked the only visit to the Pacific Northwest for the Milwaukee Bucks, and was the return of Damian Lillard to the city that he spent the first 11 years of his career in.
NBA: Blazers Down Bucks In Lillard’s Return
Damian Lillard was welcomed back to Portland with a RAUCOUS ovation from Blazers fans 👏pic.twitter.com/osk8p0LUVI
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 1, 2024
Lillard was the face of the franchise, and wound up as the leading scorer in the team’s history. He preached loyalty, remaining with the team that drafted him while other players around the league formed super teams and big 3s. But the Blazers never got over the hump in the Western Conference during his stay, and the two sides parted ways somewhat unceremoniously this past summer when Lillard was shipped off to Milwaukee.
The two teams entered Wednesday night on the opposite ends of the spectrum. While the Bucks have had their struggles so far this season, they came in to the day with the 4th best record in the NBA, and have been one of the favorites in the Eastern Conference throughout. Portland, on the other hand, has been near the bottom of the standings in the West all season long, sporting a record of 14-33.
But the Blazers came ready to battle. Anfernee Simons led a balanced scoring attack by putting in 24 points, and Deandre Ayton had a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds. But one of the biggest stories was Scoot Henderson, who was the player that Portland drafted this past year in hopes of filling out the massive shoes that Lillard left. He was able to put in an efficient 15 points off of the bench, having one of the better shooting nights of his young career, which is an area that he’s struggled in.
Milwaukee Looking For First Win Under Doc Rivers
The Bucks’ Doc Rivers era is off to an 0-2 start after a 119-116 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.
The next game for Milwaukee will be against the Dallas Mavericks on the road. pic.twitter.com/8SeRrPzWXT
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) February 1, 2024
Lillard was given a standing ovation during player introductions, and was honored numerous times with tribute videos during timeouts. He finished with 25 points and was just 3 of 13 from three point range.
Milwaukee is in the middle of a mid-season shift, as they fired head coach Adrian Griffin last week. New head coach Doc Rivers is now 0-2 in his first two games as the team’s leader, and to be defeated by the lowly Trail Blazers is a tough way to start things off.
The schedule for the Bucks won’t get any easier, as their next four opponents are all currently Western Conference playoff teams, and 3 of the games will be played on the road.
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