NBA: Trail Blazers hammer hapless Bucks

Scoot Henderson scored 23 points off the bench as the Portland Trail Blazers never trailed in a dominant 130-99 victory over the visiting Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night.

Deni Avdija and Jerami Grant each added 18 points, while Donovan Clingan contributed 14 points, 15 rebounds, and four steals. Matisse Thybulle chipped in 14 points off the bench, and Jrue Holiday finished with 13 points and eight assists.

Portland (37-37) has won six of its past eight games and is locked in a tight race with the Los Angeles Clippers for the eighth seed in the Western Conference, trailing LA by just half a game. The two teams will meet again on Tuesday in Los Angeles and on April 10 in Portland.

For Milwaukee (29-43), Ryan Rollins scored a career-high 36 points and made six 3-pointers. Ousmane Dieng added 16 points, Taurean Prince scored 13 off the bench, and Jericho Sims had 12. The Bucks were without star Giannis Antetokounmpo (left knee) for the fifth consecutive game and have lost 12 of their last 15 games.

Portland shot 52.5% from the field, including 19 of 41 from three-point range (46.3%), and beat Milwaukee for the fifth straight time. Toumani Camara added 10 points one day after posting a career-high 35 against the Brooklyn Nets. Milwaukee managed 40.4% shooting and hit 14 of 45 from three (31.1%), finishing a 1-3 road trip with all losses by more than 30 points.

Grant scored 16 points in the first half as the Trail Blazers led 71-49 at halftime. Portland opened the game with a 10-0 run and ended the first quarter with an 8-0 spurt to lead 42-27. Grant’s 3-pointer midway through the second quarter extended the lead to 61-36.

In the third quarter, Portland quickly built its lead to 82-52 on Camara’s layup. The Trail Blazers led 104-81 entering the final period and opened the fourth with a 10-0 run, capped by Henderson’s three-pointer for a 33-point advantage, cruising to the win.

—Field Level Media/Reuters