Damian Lillard's former team took a bit of the shine off his gala homecoming. Anfernee Simons scored 24 points, including a key floater with 17.1 seconds left, and the Portland Trail Blazers beat Lillard and the Milwaukee Bucks 119-116 on Wednesday night. Lillard finished with 25 points for the Bucks in their second straight loss under new coach Doc Rivers.
Damian Lillard received a standing ovation when he was introduced before the game. But the Blazers made sure that it was a bittersweet return to the Rose City.
Damian Lillard said his return to Portland for the first time since leaving the Trail Blazers after 11 seasons comes with "a lot of love” for both the team and the community. The eight-time All-Star will play his first game in Portland on Wednesday night since he was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in the offseason. There were no hard feelings about the trade or his time in Portland: Lillard wanted to go to a NBA title contender, while the Blazers were focused on developing young talent.
Jerami Grant scored 27 points and the Portland Trail Blazers took advantage of reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid's absence to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 130-104 on Monday night. Malcolm Brogdon added 24 points and nine assists for the Blazers, who had lost four of their previous five games. Rookie Scoot Henderson had 22 points.
DeMar DeRozan finished with 20 points and the Chicago Bulls snapped a two-game losing streak with a 104-96 victory over the Portland Trail Blazer on Sunday night. Coby White had 15 points and 10 assists for the Bulls, playing the last of a short three-game road trip, while Andre Drummond came off the bench with 15. Ayo Dosunmu's 3-pointer with 21 seconds left all but sealed the win.