PORTLAND, Ore. _ It took some determined defense in the last 3 minutes for the Milwaukee Bucks to escape with a 93-90 victory over Portland on Tuesday night at the Moda Center.
The Bucks scored the final six points of the game and denied the Trail Blazers, holding them scoreless down the stretch. Bucks guard Malcolm Brogdon forced a long three-point attempt by Damian Lillard in the final seconds, a shot that fell far short.
Milwaukee (35-35) stayed in seventh place in the Eastern Conference and moved within one game of sixth-place Indiana. The Bucks improved to 3-2 on their season-long trip with one game remaining Wednesday night in Sacramento.
Khris Middleton paced Milwaukee with 26 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo added 22 points, eight rebounds and three assists. John Henson played a huge defensive role in the final minutes and had six points, eight rebounds and three blocks.
Lillard led Portland (32-38) with 31 points although the Bucks limited him to 2-for-9 three-point shooting.
The Bucks outscored the Trail Blazers, 30-14, in the second quarter to take a 48-35 halftime lead.
Antetokounmpo and Middleton each had 15 points in the half, with all of Antetokounmpo's points coming in the second quarter.
The Bucks limited the Trail Blazers to 1-of-9 shooting from three-point range in the half.
Milwaukee led, 67-63, entering the fourth quarter after Lillard heated up to help Portland outscore the Bucks, 28-19, in the third period.
The Trail Blazers took the lead on a layup by McCollum with 4:27 left.
But the Bucks responded as John Henson altered some shots and Milwaukee went on a 6-0 burst after trailing, 90-87. Malcolm Brogdon scored a layup and Middleton posted up for a jumper to give the Bucks a 91-90 lead with 2:16 left.
Then Henson tipped in a miss by Antetokounmpo to push the Bucks' lead to three points with 1:39 to go.
