Milwaukee Bucks lost two straight games over the weekend. That doesn’t happen often for the Bucks. They faced a Portland team on Monday that was coming off a dramatic win against Chicago. But a Portland team that was pillaged with injuries. This was a team that the Bucks should take advantage of. They did that throughout the game. Milwaukee scored 79 points in the first half. 113 after three quarters, shot over 55 percent from the field and 50 percent from three. Jrue Holiday continued his success against Damian Lillard as well. All resulted in the Bucks’ blowout victory.

Player of the Game: Jrue Holiday – The Bucks point guard is the kryptonite to Lillard’s success. What a game from Holiday in limited minutes. He scored 22 points, grabbed seven boards, and handed out six assists in 30 minutes of action. Holiday also had three steals and held Lillard to 17 points. Holiday showcased all of the good things about him in this one. I try hard not to compare Eric Bledsoe to him, but it was rare to ever see Bledsoe play lockdown defense plus have a 20+ scoring night on the other side.

Honorable Mention: Bobby Portis – Another great game from Bobby Portis. If Jordan Clarkson keeps on his heater, he will be the Sixth Man of the Year, but Portis has a case. He scored 21 points in 24 minutes and grabbed eight rebounds as well. The Portland big men could not handle the speed and quickness of Portis. He also hit three shots from deep. People were critical of the Portis deal, but it shows you how playing for a good team can change a player.

What went right for the Bucks? – The urge to win this game: The comments after the game were a bit surprising. Both new Bucks Bryn Forbes and D.J. Augustin talked about how this game was a ‘must-win’ for the Bucks. Now, if they had lost three straight, is there major panic in Bucks’s land? Yeah probably. Is it a huge deal? No. But the fact the Bucks gave a shit to change the conversation and deliver a dominating win matters to me. It shows they’re not oblivious to what’s going on around them.

What also went right for the Bucks? – Minutes managed effectively: After the Bucks starters had to play almost 40 minutes in back-to-back affairs, it was big that they were able to reset and only play 25-30 total. That is a huge relief for Milwaukee moving forward. They have a lot of games on the schedule in February including this week with four on tap. It is nice for the Bucks to get a bit of a reprive.

Next up: Milwaukee welcomes Indiana to town for a 6:00p tip as I believe this game got moved to the mothership. Indiana and Milwaukee should be more of a rivalry, but the Bucks have had their way in the past. Interested to see how the new look Myles Turner does against Giannis Antetokounmpo. Also, I’d expect Holiday to want to have a big game since he’ll be playing against both his brothers, Aaron and Justin.

Charlie.