– The Milwaukee Bucks overcame a 26-point third-quarter deficit to defeat the Portland Trail Blazers 108-102 on Sunday, the largest comeback in the NBA so far this season.
Down by 81-55 with 9:08 remaining in the third quarter, the Bucks finished the game on a 58-21 run, outscoring the Blazers by 32 points the rest of the way. Milwaukee’s star duo of Damian Lillard (17) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (15) outscored 32-21 the Trail Blazers single-handedly during this span.
Antetokounmpo, who finished with 33 points, broke a tie by tipping in a basket with 18.5 seconds left in the game to put the Bucks ahead for good.
“Sometimes we just make it tough on ourselves,” Antetokounmpo, who finished with 33 points, said. “Don’t get me wrong, I think Portland is a very good team — young team, play hard, but we just make it tough. We can’t start the game like that. We should not be down 26 and then try to come and win the game. That takes a toll on your body. But at the end of the day, I’m happy we were able to win.”
The Trail Blazers had a greater than 98% chance to win Sunday’s game during the third quarter, according to ESPN’s win probability analytics, before the Bucks completed one of the biggest comebacks in recent franchise history. This was Milwaukee’s second-largest comeback in the past 25 seasons, behind only a 27-point comeback against Chicago on Nov. 26, 2012.