Jerami Grant scored 35 points to lead the short-handed Portland Trail Blazers to a 115-103 victory over the Bucks in Milwaukee on Monday night.
Deni Avdija added 22 for a Portland team without former Buck Jrue Holiday (calf), Scoot Henderson (hamstring) and Shaedon Sharpe (calf). Donovan Clingan added 14 points with 12 rebounds.
Milwaukee lost its fifth straight and third straight without Giannis Antetokounmpo (groin strain). Bobby Portis led the Bucks with 22 points, although all but two were scored in the first half.
Cole Anthony kept the game within reach with 16 points, while Kyle Kuzma scored 15 and Myles Turner added 13 with 11 rebounds.
The Blazers were strong early, with Grant scoring 13 in the first quarter and Portland taking a 12-point lead.
The second quarter belonged largely to Portis, who scored 14, including 4 of 5 3-pointers.
However, Portland outscored the Bucks by seven points in the quarter with six 3-pointers and nine free throws to take a 65-53 lead at the break. Grant led Portland at halftime with 22, half of which came from the charitable sector.
In the third, Portland continued its advantage at the free throw line by scoring nine in the quarter to just two for Milwaukee. The Blazers took a 95-74 lead into the fourth.
Portland used a huge 23-2 run in the third and fourth quarters to lead by 33 with less than nine minutes to play.
The Bucks went on a 16-1 run, but that only opened up a deficit too huge to overcome.
This was Portland’s fourth straight victory over Milwaukee. Prior to last season, the Trail Blazers had not swept the two-game series since the 2013-14 campaign.
–Field level media
