Guided by their game plan and fueled by their fans, Coach Jason Kidd’s Milwaukee Bucks produced another statement victory on Saturday night.

Thanks to extensive planning by Coach Kidd and his staff, the upstart Bucks have stood tall against some of the NBA’s best teams this season and on Saturday in front of a crowd of 18,717 at BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee, they toppled one of the Western Conference’s very best teams the Portland Trail Blazers, 95-88.

Guided by All-NBA duo Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland entered the game with confidence but Jason made sure his Milwaukee Bucks knew exactly what they were getting into and they weren’t intimidated by Portland’s stars. In fact, the Bucks held the high-flying West club to just 37.1 percent shooting to string together their third straight win.

“I thought the guys executed the game plan,” Coach Kidd said. “When we were going to go double Aldridge, when we were going to blitz Lillard. contest the three — they shot 31 of them. We knew that coming in. Guys were all on the same page, making the extra effort, contesting shots.”

Portland Trail Blazers v Milwaukee Bucks

Six players scored in double-figures for Milwaukee: Jared Dudley scored 18 points, including three trifectas, O.J. Mayo scored 17 off the bench, and Giannis Antetokounmpo pulled in a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

John Henson and Antetokounmpo were key matchups for Portland’s All-Star big man, Aldridge. Using their length and athleticism, they were able to maintain Aldridge to just 18 points on 18 shot attempts. Henson wasn’t just making thing difficult for Portland on offense, but causing problems for their defense too. Henson had 14 points and eight rebounds in the victory.

“I thought we set the tone when we doubled him (Aldridge) the first time; he turned it over,” Jason explained. “I thought that gave our guys confidence that we were doing the right thing.”

Portland Trail Blazers v Milwaukee Bucks

It was to Milwaukee’s benefit that Portland was playing on the second half of a back-to-back after an emotional loss to the red-hot Atlanta Hawks on Friday night. Dudley made two three-pointers in the first quarter; the second of which extended an early lead for the Bucks to nine, 19-10.

In the second, the Bucks began to pull away after veteran forward, Kenyon Martin threw down a big two-handed dunk to make it a 36-22 ball game. But the early 14-point lead was taken away after the Blazers caught fire behind Wesley Matthews, who sparked an 11-0 run with a three-pointer and a lob to Thomas Robinson for a dunk on the fast break.

Aldridge’s jumper tied the score at 42-42 before Brandon Knight drove for a basket and was fouled by Aldridge, leading to a three-point play to end the half with Milwaukee up 45-42.

Lillard, who was snubbed from this year’s All-Star game in New York, scored 19 points, but was 1-for-10 from downtown against Milwaukee Saturday night. Knight, while working to contend Lillard on the defensive end, turned in a near double-double with 11 points and eight dimes.

“It was a great team effort,” J-Kidd said. “We had six guys in double-figures, over 20 assists, a little high on the turnovers, but a great home win here against a very talented team. Crowd was great, great turn out.”

Portland Trail Blazers v Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks carried the lead for the entire third quarter, never trailing. With under a minute remaining, Mayo knocked down a 26-footer, which was then followed by two jump shots from Jerryd Bayless pushing the Milwaukee lead to 11 entering the fourth quarter. In addition to the double-digit cushion, the Bucks also had a rowdy crowd behind them going into the fourth.

“It was great,” Bayless said of the crowd. “You can see it starting to come together. It is an exciting time in Milwaukee. Hopefully it continues.”

Milwaukee’s offense is one of the most well-rounded attacks in the league. Multiple scorers in double-digits, high volume of help off the bench and assist numbers are always high. Coach Kidd knows that ball movement and space helps his team make shots and win.

“Being able to give guys room, like B-Knight and Khris, it stretches the floor and gives guys opportunities,” Coach Kidd explained. “Making cuts and passing the ball is something we always work on.”

In the final frame, it was another one of Kidd’s key principles—defense—that brought home the victory. Milwaukee held the Blazers to just 38.1 percent shooting and allowed them to hit just 2-of-8 attempts from beyond the arc, halting all hopes for a comeback.

Portland Trail Blazers v Milwaukee Bucks

After finishing dead last in attendance during last year’s 15-67 campaign, the Bucks have moved up to 26th this season. Wins over teams like Portland will only continue to bring people to the Bradley Center.

“With the new arena right there, with a young team learning how to play the right way, there are a lot of good things going on,” Kidd said. “There’s a lot of buzz in the city of Milwaukee. It is a great sports town. There are a lot of good things happening right now.

NEXT UP

The Bucks (25-22) will start the month of February with a crucial tilt against one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, the Toronto Raptors (33-15).

The Raptors have been hot of late, winning their last six games, including consecutive overtime wins on the road against the Brooklyn Nets and the Washington Wizards. The win streak has them firmly at No. 2 in the East standings.

Milwaukee will be looking to avoid the season sweep Monday night after dropping both of its earlier meetings with Toronto—most recently a heartbreaking 92-89 defeat at the Bradley Center in mid-January.

Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. EST Monday night from the Air Canada Centre. Fox Sports Wisconsin will have the broadcast.

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