Jason Kidd’s Milwaukee Bucks took a loss their last time out against the Golden State Warriors, but they bounced back, taking down a squad fighting for playoff seeding in the Western Conference, the Portland Trail Blazers.
J-Kidd’s squad showcased some tough defense and clutch shooting to secure a 93-90 win in a hostile, playoff atmosphere at the Moda Center in Portland.
“This is the playoff atmosphere. It’s tough to win here in Portland and the guys stayed together,” head coach Jason Kidd said. “Showing a discipline on their trust, on the defense and offensive end. It was a great team victory. In this league you turn the page because now you got to get ready for Sacramento.”
The Bucks held a 15-point lead during the third quarter, but Portland’s potent offense stepped up and pushed the home team to an 88-85 lead with just 3:46 remaining.
“We went small there, they went small and I went as long as I could. With Moose, Lillard got to the rim and started having a layup drill. So we got out of the small, we got John back in the game and he helped us win that game there late,” Kidd said. “Offensively the guys made plays. Khris made plays coming down the stretch for us, but defensively we found a way to win this game.”
Portland scored two more points on a Damian Lillard layup with 3:12 left, but from there, the Bucks defense had an incredible stretch, shutting Portland out for the remainder of the game.
“This team is very dangerous,” Jason said. “They can score a lot of points in a hurry and so for us to focus on trying to take the three out of the game, make them make tough twos, I thought the guys executed the game plan well.”
Malcolm Brogdon, Khris Middleton and John Henson made the final three field goals for the Bucks, and all were highlighted by coach Kidd after the game.
“Just our pace, our trust with Khris having the ball, he understands what plays that he can make or make for someone else. He made some big shots coming down the stretch for us,” Kidd said. “We believe (Brogdon’s) past his rookie skill level. He made some big shots offensively and also being able to stay home and make Lillard take a tough shot.”
Middleton scored a team-high 26 points on 11-of-22 shooting. Brogdon finished the game with eight points, seven rebounds and four assists. Henson only played 20 minutes, but still managed to get six points, eight rebounds and three blocks, as well as several key defensive plays.
“I thought John, he actually tipped a jump shot by Lillard. They ended up getting the 50-50 ball, but you know John being in there, I thought John played a great game for us overall, not just late in the game, but when he was in he was effective,” Jason said.
Milwaukee’s six-game road trip comes to an end on Wednesday night, when the Bucks play the Sacramento Kings on the back end of a back-to-back.
