PORTLAND — Brook Lopez scored 27 points and the Milwaukee Bucks stretched their winning streak to eight games with a 127-108 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 24 points and 13 rebounds as the Bucks led the whole way, pushing their advantage to 26 in the second half.
Damian Lillard led the Blazers with 28 points. Antetokounmpo and Lillard were selected the NBA’s players of the week earlier in the day.
Lillard averaged 38.3 points and 6.8 assists last week for his second straight POTW honor, while Antetokounmpo averaged 41 points and 17.3 rebounds.
Antetokounmpo started despite right knee soreness. The two-time league MVP had a triple-double with 35 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists on Saturday to lead the Bucks to a 123-115 victory over Miami.
Portland was coming off a 129-121 loss at Chicago on Saturday that snapped a three-game winning streak
With center Jusuf Nurkic unavailable because of a left calf strain, the Blazers struggled against the bigger Bucks.
Milwaukee led by 15 in the first half, but Lillard hit a 3-pointer from about two feet inside the half-court line that brought gasps and then cheers from the home crowd.
Lopez led all scorers with 17 points and Milwaukee led 58-48 at the break. He hit a 3 with 10:41 left in the third quarter that gave him 15,000 career points.
The Bucks finished the third period on a 22-8 run to lead 95-71.
TIP-INS
Bucks: Also won the first of their two meetings with the Blazers this season, 119-111 in Milwaukee. … It was the opener of a three-game road trip. … The Bucks’ longest winning streak this season is nine games.
Trail Blazers: GM Joe Cronin was among the team representatives at a roundtable with WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert to pitch Portland as a possible WNBA expansion city. Oregon women’s coach Kelly Graves and Oregon State coach Scott Rueck were also on hand.
SLIGHT ADJUSTMENTS
Because of weather-related flight delays that forced the postponement of the Washington Wizards’ game at Detroit on Feb. 1, a few adjustments were made to the NBA schedule that impact the Bucks and Blazers.
Milwaukee’s game at Washington originally set for March 6 was moved to March 5, and Portland’s game at Detroit will be played March 6 instead of March 7.
The Wizards’ makeup game at Detroit is set for March 7.
