Lately, the Bucks have struggled, but Portis insists unity is the key to overcoming recent losses.
The Milwaukee Bucks are running out of time, and Bobby Portis knows it.
After Monday night's 108-81 home loss to the Boston Celtics, the veteran forward did not sugarcoat where things stand for a team that has now dropped three of its last four games.
"When you lose, it sucks," Portis said postgame. "Just take it with a grain of salt, get back in the gym. Happy we got off all day tomorrow. Just a little mental day. 22 games left. A lot of ground we have to cover to get into a play-in situation, playoff situation. Just think, like I said, man, just staying together is big."
Bucks Continue to Slide at the Wrong Time
It was another rough night for a Milwaukee team that could not find any kind of rhythm on the offensive end, shooting just 36.5 percent from the field and turning the ball over 16 times while Boston cruised to a 27-point victory.
The loss dropped the Bucks to 26-34 on the season, which puts them 11th in the Eastern Conference and four games behind the Charlotte Hornets for the final play-in spot.
Bobby Portis was one of the few bright spots for Milwaukee on Monday, finishing with 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting while connecting on three of his four attempts from beyond the arc.
On the season, Portis is averaging 13.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game while shooting 45.1 percent from three-point range, giving the Bucks a reliable scoring punch off the bench all year long.
Giannis Returns, But Bucks Still Fall Flat
Monday also marked the return of Giannis Antetokounmpo, who had been sidelined since January 23 with a right calf strain and recorded 19 points and 11 rebounds in 25 minutes on the floor.
While getting their star back was a positive step, it was not enough to slow down a Celtics team that led from start to finish and held a 31-point lead at its largest.
The Bucks have been on a roller coaster over the past few weeks, and a stretch that included wins over the Cavaliers and Heat gave fans hope that this team could make a late-season push.
But back-to-back blowout losses to the Bulls and Celtics have brought things back down to earth in a hurry.
Can Milwaukee Make a Run?
With 22 games left on the schedule, the math is not in Milwaukee's favor, but it is not impossible either.
The Bucks will need to string together wins in bunches if they want to climb back into the play-in picture, and Portis believes the key to doing that comes down to staying together.
It is a simple approach, but for a team dealing with the pressure of Antetokounmpo's uncertain future and a season that has been defined by injuries and inconsistency, keeping the locker room tight might be the most important thing they can do right now.
Milwaukee gets a day off on Tuesday before hosting the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night, and if there was ever a time for this group to come together and go on a run, it is now.