Giannis Antetokounpo scored 33 points and Damian Lillard added 31 against his former team Sunday as the Milwaukee Bucks rallied from 26 points down to beat Portland 108-102 in the biggest comeback win of the NBA season.
Lillard, who played 11 seasons in Portland until he was traded to Milwaukee in September, added five rebounds and four assists in his first game against the Trail Blazers.
Antetokounmpo made it a double-double with 16 rebounds for a Bucks team that has won seven of their last eight games.
The Blazers, in rebuilding mode after Lillard’s departure, have lost nine of their last 10.
The young Portland team had dominated through three quarters. Rookie Scoot Henderson, the third overall pick in June’s draft, was four-for-four on the way to 11 points in the first half, helping the Blazers build a 68-52 halftime lead.
Portland, led by 22 points from Jerami Grant and 18 from Malcolm Brogdon, pushed their advantage to 26 points early in the third period before the Bucks clamped down on defense and began to turn the tide.
Lillard’s three-pointer tied it at 97-97 with less than three minutes remaining. It was tied at 102-102 when Antetokounmpo tipped in the go-ahead basket with 18.5 seconds left to play.
A big block from Antetokounmpo on Brogdon and four free-throws from Lillard sealed it.
“I think we showed a lot of togetherness, a lot of resilience,” Lillard said. “In this league, you never know what type of night a team is going to have. When you let them get off to a good start and get confident they can be trouble.
“We’ve been in that situation a few times this season, where our character was tested, our togetherness was tested. We showed true again.”
Lillard admitted it was “a weird feeling” to take the court against former teammates.
“But once we started playing I kind of got over it quick,” he said. “I’m just happy we were able to get the win.”
