MEMPHIS — Damian Lillard took a deep breath of resignation after another layup failed to find the back of the net with just over seven minutes left in the game.
Brook Lopez pursed his lips together as the layup rocked out about a minute later.
Lillard then put his hands up after his high attempt on Giannis Antetokounmpo with 2:52 left wasn't high enough and was cleared, leading to a 3-pointer the other way.
It was that night for the Milwaukee Bucks, who lost 113-110 to the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday night at the FedExForum. The Bucks took layups and didn't fall on 3-pointers while the short-handed Grizzlies beat the shot clock buzzer and got career nights from JJ Jackson II (27 points) and Zaire Williams (27 points) as they hustled and nullified their own. Way to pull off an upset win over Eastern Conference contenders on national television.
Square score:Grizzlies 113, Bucks 110
The Bucks appeared to be on the verge of a winning streak earlier in the week, but they came back from the break with back-to-back losses to Miami and Memphis, deprived of star power but filled with the desire to make it happen. They are now 35-21 and 3-7 under new coach Doc Rivers. Memphis improved to 20-36.
Milwaukee next plays on February 23 in Minneapolis.
The Bucks couldn't hold on against the Grizzlies in the fourth quarter
The Bucks came back from a 10-point deficit in the third quarter thanks to five points early in the fourth quarter from Lillard, two baskets from Antetokounmpo and an assist by Jae Crowder to take a 102-101 lead with 3:30 left. But the Bucks scored just two more points — and no field goals — when the game was still up for grabs as the Grizzlies pushed their lead to 113-104 with less than a minute left.
Malik Beasley succeeded in reducing two missed free throws from Lamar Stevens with three pointers on consecutive possessions with 45 and 29 seconds left in the game, as the Bucks narrowed the gap to 113-110. Jae Crowder then charged Vince Williams Jr. with 11.2 seconds left to set up a potential game-winning possession, but the middle of the court jammed when the Grizzlies bombed a Lopez screen for Lillard, sending Lillard tumbling to the ground. He recovered the ball, kicked it to Lopez, who shot it straight at the keeper, but Lillard was forced to make a shot from 35 feet that missed.
Lillard scored 24 points on 7-of-21 shooting, including 3-for-13 from behind the three-point line. Beasley was 3-for-10 from behind the three-point line for nine points, while Lopez scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Bobby Portis added 15 points for the Bucks.
Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to play due to hamstring tendinitis
Antetokounmpo played at the age of 15y Back-to-back games Thursday after he was initially downgraded from probable to questionable following the team's morning shootout in Memphis due to right patellar tendonitis.
The 7-footer looked no worse for wear as he constantly bombarded the interior of Memphis' smaller defense for 35 points. His only missed shot came on mid-range jumpers where Antetokounmpo was a perfect 15-of-15 in the restricted area. When the Grizzlies tried to corral him, Antetokounmpo sent the ball to 12 assists.
The issue was first reported on February 4 at Utah State, which followed a 48-point, 40-minute night against Dallas on February 3.
Although he has not missed a game since tendonitis developed before playing for the Jazz, Antetokounmpo's minutes have dropped to 32.2 over his last six games (although some tough hitting has helped that cause) and he is averaging 26.3 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. One match. – Both are below their seasonal averages of 30.7 and 11.4.
His assist total rose to 7.0 per game, in that span.
Antetokounmpo is expected to play in the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday.
He was the league's top vote-getter and the leader of the Eastern Conference team, which also includes teammate Lillard and will be coached by Rivers.
After having offseason surgery on his left knee, Antetokounmpo is a regular in the lineup for the first time in years with the Bucks. He has missed just two games (Nov. 15 and Jan. 17) — the team is 1-1 without him — and is on pace to play the most games since making 72 appearances in his first MVP season in 2018-19.
Did you notice?
On Memphis' final possession of the first quarter, they let the clock run down until the final seconds, and new Bucks point guard Patrick Beverley put his hands above his head and began making a “talking” motion with his fingers to get his teammates behind him. Talk more. One of the first things Doc Rivers said about the Bucks defense was that they weren't talking at a high enough level and Beverley would help bring that element to that unit.
Andre Jackson Jr. gets a call to fire up the Bucks
In the third quarter, the Bucks struggled mightily to make stops on the defensive end, and a young, hungry Grizzlies team with two-way players and a player on a 10-day contract were on pace to make a name for themselves in a nationally televised game. A match against one of the best teams in the league. So, with 2 minutes, 59 seconds remaining in the frame, and the Bucks down 82-77, Doc Rivers turned to Andre Jackson Jr. to loft the ball. It was the rookie's first real turnover minute since Rivers took over as coach, but unfortunately for Jackson Jr. and the Bucks, he was called for three fouls and missed a seven-foot shot as the Grizzlies extended their lead to as many as 10.
five Preparation
4:05 The remaining time was when the game ball was swapped for a backup, as the ball used throughout the game fell into a spectator's drink.
4-5 Memphis was given first-half fouls, then the Grizzlies were given third-quarter fouls as Antetokounmpo and Lillard tried to get to the rim more aggressively. The latter got the Bucks in the bonus in the final two minutes of the frame.
9 Players available for the Grizzlies, one over the league minimum to start a game.
12-14 Bucks scored on the road. They lost 15 away games throughout last season.
47 Seconds into the second period when Rivers called timeout. The Grizzlies' Williams hit an open layup near the end of the shot clock to start the quarter for a 60-57 lead, but after Beasley missed a 3-pointer, no one could get back in transition defense and Williams got an easy layup to make it 62-57. The Grizzlies would go on to score 37 points in the quarter and lead by as many as 10 before taking a 94-85 lead into the fourth.
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