CJ more than OK as Blazers baffle Bucks

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, November 6, 2018

When the going got tough for the Trail Blazers — a matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks — CJ McCollum got going.

McCollum hadn’t been chopped liver in Portland’s first nine games, but he came into Tuesday night’s duel with Milwaukee averaging 18.9 points — down from his 21.4-point average of a year ago — and shooting .429 from the field and .345 from 3-point range.

Any discussion of a “slump” was wiped away with McCollum’s sterling 40-point performance in leading the Blazers past the Bucks, 118-103.

The Bucks hit Moda Center with an 8-1 record, making it the biggest win of the year for the Blazers (8-3), who shot superbly (.527 from the field, including 17 for 43 on 3-point tries) and dealt effectively with the monstrous talents of Milwaukee’s 6-11 Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The “Greek Freak” — who won’t turn 24 until Dec. 6 — managed 23 points, nine rebounds and six assists, but those were numbers the Blazers could live with from Milwaukee’s Most Valuable Player candidate. Portland coach Terry Stotts used Al-Farouq Aminu and Evan Turner to defend Antetokoumpo, and outside of eight dunks among his 11 baskets, they held him pretty much in check.

“Evan and Farouq worked all game long to make it as difficult as they could on Giannis,” Stotts said. “We tried to keep him away from the basket as much as we could and forced him to beat us from the outside. We did as good a job as you can ask. He’s so good. I mean, he gets around the basket … he had some big-time dunks that are hard to guard.”

Fortunately, the Blazers had McCollum going offensively like he’d not been all season. McCollum said he always works hard on his game during off days but spent a little extra time on Monday at the video screen with Portland assistant coach David Vanterpool. And maybe there was a little motivation provided this week from critics in the media.

“Especially when I’m shooting 34 percent from 3, and people write articles about how I’m not playing well,” the 6-3 shooting guard said. “I work on my craft. That’s the biggest thing I pride myself on. I prepare. Whether I play well or not, I know how much time I spend watching film and breaking down how I can be effective.”

On Monday, McCollum watched every 3-point attempt “off the dribble” he attempted last season. He also watched plenty of video of his shots this season.

“The only thing I noticed was I was missing a lot of in-and-outs,” he said. “I was shooting with a dead wrist. I wasn’t locking it out. I got in some extra shots, working on stuff, tightening on my pull-up, getting back to the basics. Tonight, it all came together.”

McCollum was hot from the start and finished 17 for 26 from the field, including 5 for 10 from 3-point range. He also dished out six assists and had five rebounds and four steals in what he called a “complete” performance.

“Unreal,” teammate Evan Turner said of McCollum’s show. “Big night. He did a great job all around. Started off in attack mode, and did it from start to finish. He just gave (the Bucks) hell.”

Turner was darn good, too, coming off the bench for 16 points, 11 rebounds and four assists in 32 minutes. The Blazers got good stuff from nearly all of the 10 men who played in securing their best victory of the season on the fourth game of a six-game homestand.

“It was big,” McCollum said. “We needed it. (The Bucks) are a very good team, playing extremely well, making a lot of 3’s. It was a challenging game for us.

“We felt like we shouldn’t have lost to the Wizards (at home on Oct. 22). We wanted to take advantage of the rest of this homestand.”

Antetokounmpo was asked if Aminu did anything defensively to slow him down.

“No. No. No. No,” he said. “I just have to get to my spots. We just need to do the plays that work, and we were going away from them. Just have to be more focused and know what our game plan is. It wasn’t about offense tonight, though. It was about defense and not getting stops.”

Antetokounmpo was willing, however, to offer a short compliment to the Blazers.

“They’re really good,” he said. “If they play like they played tonight, they’ll be a good team in the West.”

Milwaukee reserve Pat Connaughton was willing to go into greater detail about his former team and its performance Tuesday night.

“I’ve been in this building once or twice when those types of games have gone on and either CJ or (Damian Lillard) gets hot,” said Connaughton, who spent his first three NBA seasons in a Blazer uniform. “Tonight it was CJ. It was strange to be on the other side of it. They made some tough shots. This place can be a tough one to play in.

“Coach Stotts does a lot of great things with them, puts the guys in a position to succeed. That showed tonight. ‘Dame’ and CJ can get hot, can win you a game any given night, and that plays very well in the West. Sometimes you need those nights. You need one of them to take over.

“This was a good learning experience for us. We have to figure out what we have to work on to take that next step as a top team in the league.”

NOTES — Portland’s next action is at home Thursday night against the Los Angeles Clippers. … Small forward Moe Harkless missed his fifth straight game with a knee injury, and Stotts would offer no guess on when he’ll return to action. “He’s rehabbing,” Stotts said. “He does what he can (during workout sessions).” … McCollum’s 40 points were the most ever by a Blazer against the Bucks. The previous high was 38 by Lionel Hollins in 1978. … Connaughton played only six minutes, all in the second quarter, and had two free throws and two offensive rebounds. The 6-4 shooting guard is averaging 6.0 points and 4.4 rebounds in seven games. “It has been a great learning experience for me, going to a different team, getting acclimated with coach (Mike Budenholzer’s) culture and the way he does things. I’m starting to find a place for myself. The goal is to keep growing and thrive within his system.” … Budenholzer, on Connaughton’s contributions: “He’s been great, the way he moves without the ball and shoots, with his athleticism. He brings great energy defensively. He has helped us on the boards. He has a great disposition in practice and film sessions and everyday work. He’s great to have on the team.”

There were a combined 85 3-point attempts from the teams, but only 23 free throws tried. As a result, the game took only one hour, 53 minutes to play. … Milwaukee center Brook Lopez scored 22 points on 8-for-14 shooting, including 6 for 10 from beyond the arc. … Portland entered the game ranked No. 10 in the NBA in defensive efficiency. Budenholzer, asked for reasons why Portland’s defense is improved this season: “Their defensive rebounding has been better. Aminu has taken a lot of pride in guarding some of the best players. The bench has been good for them. They’re very efficient offensively; that helps their defense. And Terry is a great coach. He understands what’s important and can coach both sides of the ball well.” … In their previous game, the Bucks made a franchise record 22 3-pointers and took 56 shots from beyond the arc, five shy of Houston’s NBA record. “The game is always evolving,” Budenholzer said. “Teams and players are trying to figure out what gives them their best chance. The skill of players today is special, but it’s certainly pushing the envelope.”

keggers@portlandtribune.com

@kerryeggers