PORTLAND -- The Portland Trail Blazers were great hosts for Damian Lillard’s return to Portland, but hospitality has its limits.
The fans at Moda Center gave Lillard multiple standing ovations and the Trail Blazers played two tribute videos celebrating his 11 seasons in Portland, but that’s where the niceties would end, with Portland coming away with the 119-116 victory in front of a sellout crowd of 19,335 Wednesday night at Moda Center.
“The atmosphere was awesome, obviously, we knew that would be the case,” said Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups. “I just didn’t think the moment was too big for our team. We just played so hard, we played together, we continue to get better just playing for each other. We didn’t come unraveled at the end -- we had a lot of miscommunication in that fourth quarter that we’ve got to clean up defensively -- but even when we did, we just stayed together.”
The Trail Blazers are now 15-33 overall and 9-13 at home this season. Portland has now won consecutive games for just the fourth time this season and split the series versus Milwaukee 1-1.
Portland Trail Blazers 119, Milwaukee Bucks 116 | Game Highlights | Jan 31, 2024
“It was a fun night, celebrate a great player, a great person,” said Anfernee Simons. “We came in here like, we got stuff we want to accomplish as well, we coming in wanting to win a game. So we took a moment to celebrate (Lillard) but at the same time we wanted to win a basketball game. That was the message coming in and I think we executed that perfectly.”
Emotions at Moda Center were high Thursday night, with Lillard’s return to Portland living up to its billing as one of the biggest games, if not the biggest, of the season in Rip City. The 6-3 guard in his 12th season out of Weber State was cheered on during warmups, introductions and most of the times he touched the ball in the first half of Thursday’s contest.
And that excess energy in the building led to arguably the best game of the season thus far at Moda Center. Neither team led by more than 10, the game was tied 12 times and the lead changed hands on 14 occasions, belying the competitive, back-and-forth nature of Wednesday’s contest.
There was Scoot Henderson turning in one of his better halves of his rookie season. And Toumani Camara drawing multiple charges on Giannis Antetokounmpo and picking up Lillard full-court on multiple occasions. And Jerami Grant making circus shots, Deandre Ayton holding down the paint on both sides of the ball and Duop Reath showing an emerging offensive repertoire.
Chauncey Billups Postgame Interview | Portland Trail Blazers 119, Milwaukee Bucks 116
But it was only right that the game come down to the very end, where Lillard was known as doing his best work. But it would be Anfernee Simons, Lillard’s protégé during his time in Portland, making a late play that would secure the win.
After turning the ball over in the backcourt, a mistake that resulted in Lillard finding Antetokounmpo for a dunk to give the Bucks a one-point lead with 37.2 seconds to play. But on the next possession, Simons got into the middle of the court with perfecting executed eurostep and finished with a right-handed floater to reclaim the lead, albeit by the slimmest of margins.
“What I love about Ant… his memory, he don’t hold on to turnovers," said Billups. “Gave up a big, big backdoor layup when the defense was late in the fourth quarter, didn’t hang his head, he understood, he was mad at himself, didn’t have to get on him. And then the turnover in the backcourt, he just kept going… I was really happy for Ant, I thought he had a good game all-around.”
On the next possession, the Blazers managed to run Lillard off the three-point line, though he found Brook Lopez open in a similar position. But Camara closed out hard to the Bucks center, forcing him to pumpfake, take a side step, then fire off a three that missed the mark.
Anfernee Simons Postgame Interview | Portland Trail Blazers 119, Milwaukee Bucks 116
Malcolm Brogdon would rebound the miss and was subsequently fouled. The Bucks had to foul again to send Jerami Grant to the line, who would make two free throws to put Portland up three with 4.1 seconds to play. Milwaukee would inbound the ball to Antetokounmpo, and since they were up three, Portland fouled immediately to send the former MVP to the free throw line. He would miss both shots and Brogdon would once again secure the rebound, but this time as time expired on the three-point win.
Simons led Portland with 24 points to go with five assists and three rebounds in 38 minutes. Deandre Ayton turned in a double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds while also logging an assist, a steal and a block in 35 minutes.
Jerami Grant finished with 18 points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals. Malcolm Brogdon added 14 points, six assists, and six rebounds. Scoot Henderson came off the bench for 15 points and four assists in 22 minutes, and Duop Reath added 10 points and four rebounds in 13 minutes.
Lillard went 9-of-23 for 25 points, seven assists, six rebounds and a steal in 39 minutes. Antetokounmpo went for 27 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Khris Middleton finished with 21 points and eight assists and Brook Lopez added 19 points.
Next up, the Trail Blazers head to Denver to play two consecutive games versus the defending champs starting with a Friday tilt at Ball Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.