[ad_1]
CJ McCollum scored 27 points in the second half Tuesday night.(Photo: Troy Wayrynen, Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY HUI Sports)
PORTLAND, Ore. – When the Milwaukee Bucks have been burned this season, it's often dynamic vigilantes who are able to charge you with the shot or pass in the pick-and-roll. Think of Kemba Walker of Charlotte or Kyrie Irving of Boston, who have each exposed the defense of Milwaukee at the point of attack this season.
Portland Trail Blazers goaltender C.J. McCollum also played Tuesday night. He took full control after half-time, scoring 27 of 40 points in his record, taking the Bucks to their worst loss of the season, 118-103, at the Moda Center, to kick off the season. their four-game trip on the west coast.
"Great merit for Portland – a great achievement for C.J. McCollum, he spent a hell of a night," said Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer. "Whenever we ran a bit or felt that the momentum was going to change, either McCollum would hit a big shot, or their bench guys, (Jake) Layman, would hit a big shot … C & # 39; was one of those nights when we could not overcome the bump. "
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 23 points, nine rebounds, six assists and six turnovers in the loss. Brook Lopez added 22 points, including six to three points, and Khris Middleton had 22 points.
THE SCORE OF THE BOX: Trail Blazers 118, Bucks 103
Apart from these three, however, the Bucks have made little contribution support. Eric Bledsoe and Malcolm Brogdon were combined only for 9 points on 4 of 20 shots on goal. The bench did not bring much either, as the Bucks followed almost the whole game.
In summary, the Bucks were very offended, but did not get an answer at the other end.
Antetokounmpo said, "If you can not stop, no matter how many hits you hit."
After a tight first half, McCollum's big night took off in the third quarter when he propelled the Blazers with 19 points. He ended that period with an exclamation point, using his dribble to drop the rookie Bucks Donte DiVincenzo on the ground before hitting a float that put the crowd to the test.
McCollum scored much of his mid-range goals, the ground zone where the Bucks want to force shots as part of their defensive plan. He made 8 of his 10 shots on mid-range shots outside of the paint, which was part of a big night for Blazers from this region. As a team, Portland managed 19 shots on mid-range strikes, which created problems for Milwaukee.
"C.J., he was too comfortable," said Antetokounmpo. "At the end of the day, we still want to live with their two teammates, but when a guy like that starts to do everything in our power, we get better at it." Defensively, we just need to do more. 'efforts in everything we do.'
The Bucks found themselves in a 14-point hole as a result of McCollum's explosion in the third quarter, but they were not totally out of action. Ersan Ilyasova opened the fourth quarter score with a three-pointer and Middleton followed with a triple and a layup to allow the Bucks to score six points less than two minutes into the period.
Milwaukee narrowed the margin to five on a three-point Tony Snell with 7 minutes and 13 seconds to play, but none other than McCollum reacted in that way. Following an Antetokounmpo dunk, the Blazers put the game aside for good with an 8-0 try scored by three players from Al-Farouq Aminu and Evan Turner.
"We did not take advantage of the race we had," Middleton said. We did not stay on the accelerator. … On the road, nothing will come easily. "
Thursday's loss took place despite the fact that the Bucks held Damian Lillard, the NBA All-NBA guard, in check for most of the night. Lillard had a warm start over the three-point line, scoring two passes in the first 65 seconds to reach 11 points in the first quarter, but then scored only two points on a shot on eight.
The problem, however, was that McCollum's effort was more than offset by Lillard's quiet night.
"C.J. went crazy tonight, "said Bledsoe. I thought we did a great job on Lady. I thought we had done a good job on C.J, he just hit hard shots. "
Source link
