The Milwaukee Bucks suffered a 113-110 loss on the road to the under-manned Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday, going 3-7 under new head coach Doc Rivers heading into the All-Star break.
Grizzlies GG Jackson played remarkably alongside Ziaire Williams to combine for 54 points, making Ziaire's career-high. Vince Williams contributed 18 points and 12 rebounds.
Following the game, Jackson was interviewed by Stephanie Ready and was asked about the game, to which he replied:
"Great credit to Doc Rivers and the Milwaukee Bucks."
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A late scoring spree by Giannis Antetokounmpo in the fourth with eight points couldn't put the Milwaukee Bucks on top.
With less than three minutes left, the Grizzlies took the 101-100 lead for good, and the Bucks couldn't make a comeback. Antetokounmpo finished with a double-double, scoring 35 points and 12 assists, making 15 of his 17 field goal attempts.
Doc Rivers' zone attempt at the late stretch could not stop the Grizzlies from scoring, with a 114.5 defensive rating for the game.
Breakdown of Milwaukee Bucks collapse under Doc Rivers against Memphis Grizzlies
The Grizzlies were up by nine points with 49 seconds to go, but Malik Beasley's back-to-back three-pointers narrowed the gap to 113-110 with 29.2 seconds remaining.
In the final possession, a midcourt scramble for the ball ate into the clock, and Lillard's last-second three-pointer fell short, handing Memphis its second consecutive win.
At halftime, the score was tied 57-57, but the Grizzlies managed to extend their lead to nine points several times around the middle of the third quarter. However, the Grizzlies' weakened frontcourt struggled to contain Antetokounmpo as he aggressively drove to the basket.
Late in the third quarter, Memphis expanded their lead to 92-82 as the Grizzlies shot 76% for the period, making all four of their attempts from beyond the three-point line.
The Bucks gained a 100-98 advantage with three shots by Antetokounmpo in the paint with around 5 minutes left in the game.
The lead changed hands several times until a three-pointer by Jackson and an alley-oop dunk by Ziaire Williams, followed by a successful foul shot, extended Memphis' lead to 107-102 with 2:15 remaining.
The Bucks have a net rating of -2.0 in their last ten games, including an offensive rating of 113.3 and a defensive rating of 115.4 which are significant dropoffs from their rating prior to Doc Rivers joining, of +4.2, 121.9 (second) offensive rating and 117.7 defensive rating.
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