Grizzlies send Bucks into All-Star break with upset loss
Vince Williams added 18 points and 12 rebounds for Memphis. Ziaire Williams’ points were a career high.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 35 points and 12 assists, his 43rd double-double of the season. Damian Lillard finished with 24 points and seven assists. Bobby Portis added 15 points and Brook Lopez had 14 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks.
The Bucks closed as 14½-point favorites, according to ESPN BET, making it their third-largest upset loss in the past 30 years.
Memphis held a nine-point advantage with 49 seconds left, but consecutive 3-pointers from Malik Beasley brought the Bucks within 113-110 with 29.2 seconds remaining. Milwaukee had the last possession, but a scramble at midcourt for the ball took up a lot of the remaining time, and Lillard’s 3-pointer at the horn was short as Memphis won its second straight.
While the score was deadlocked at the half, Memphis took nine-point leads on a couple of occasions near the midway point of the third. But the Grizzlies’ depleted frontline could do little to stop Antetokounmpo going downhill on his drives to the basket.
Three quick buckets inside with about 5 minutes to play gave Milwaukee a 100-98 lead. The teams would trade leads until a 3-pointer from Jackson and an alley-oop dunk by Ziaire Williams and the ensuing foul shot pushed the Memphis lead to 107-102 with 2:15 left.
The Memphis cushion reached 92-82 late in the third as the Grizzlies shot 76% in the period, including connecting on all four 3-points attempts.
For the first half, Milwaukee couldn’t shake Memphis, and the teams were tied at 57 at the break. Antetokounmpo took over in the second quarter, with 10 points — hitting all five of his shots — and handing out four assists.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.