A quick trip home didn’t fix the Milwaukee Bucks‘ recent woes.
After a 1-3 road trip, the Bucks suffered a 132-119 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday night at Fiserv Forum.
It doesn’t get any easier for Milwaukee (26-21), which plays at Oklahoma City on Monday to start a three-game foray away from home.
BOX SCORE:Grizzlies 132, Bucks 119
“Just stay with it,” Bucks forward Khris Middleton said. “Have to bounce back. Got a game tomorrow. Hopefully we can win that and get back on the winning side.
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“You know going into the season, it’s highs and valleys. We just have to stay the course. Keep putting in the work and trust that the work will pay off.”
Jaren Jackson Jr. and Grizzlies pull away down stretch
Memphis was playing without star guard Ja Morant, but the Grizzlies were able to pull away after the Bucks tied the game at 112-112 with 6 minutes 28 seconds remaining on a three-pointer by Giannis Antetokounmpo.
In the final 3:30, both Middleton and Bucks guard Damian Lillard each had two turnovers.
“Bad execution all-around,” Middleton said. “It’s a couple-possession game with a couple minutes left. That’s when our veteranship has to take over the game, have to execute better and get a win.
“Especially at home. We come back home, about to go back on the road.”
Jaren Jackson Jr. scored five points in those closing minutes to finish with a season-high 37.
“Definitely one of the best power forwards in the league,” said Antetokounmpo, who led the bucks with 30 points and 11 rebounds. They play through him, especially with a guy like Ja Morant, who is the head of the snake is not playing.
“They play through him a lot and he was able to make shots and get to his spots.”
The Grizzlies had 21 offensive boards, helping them take 15 more shots than the Bucks. Milwaukee was playing its fifth straight game without backup big man Bobby Portis (personal reasons).
“Down the stretch, we got a couple stops but couldn’t get the ball back,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. “The ball was laying on the floor the entire game and they just kept coming up with it.
“I thought we had a chance to put them away (in the third quarter when the Bucks went up by 10 points) but didn’t. They saw blood in the water and took it from there. They made play after play. Jaren Jackson was almost unguardable tonight.”
Khris Middleton stays hot shooting, but Damian Lillard goes cold
Middleton was coming off an 8-for-9 shooting game against the San Antonio Spurs, and he stayed hot by scoring 11 points off the bench in the first quarter.
He finished with 20 points on 7-for-10 shooting.
“He’s getting his rhythm,” Rivers said. “You can feel it. Maybe our best play-maker at times as well. That’s encouraging sign.”
Bucks guard Damian Lillard, on the other hand, struggled with 4-for-15 shooting, though he did have nine assists.
“I don’t worry about the nights he doesn’t make shots,” Rivers said. “He’s human. He’s going to have some.
“I just didn’t think because they were pushing him and denying him, that he didn’t have the ball in his hands enough to make plays and I thought that hurt us.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo fighting through grind of season
The Bucks have six more games until the all-star break starts on Feb. 12, and the players are having to dig deep to fight through this rough stretch.
“For me, that’s what I do,” Antetokounmpo said. “I hope it’s contagious within the team to keep on fighting.
“It doesn’t matter how the game is going. It doesn’t matter if you’re playing well, playing bad. It’s about how you impact the game to help the team win.
“That’s what I do. It doesn’t matter how much tired I am. Sometimes my tank is going to have 15%. Sometimes it’s going to have 100%, sometimes it’s going to have 80%. Right now our tank, I don’t know what it has, but we just got to give everything. That’s what I do. When I’m on 15, I give 15. When I’m on 12, I give 12. Then when I’m on 100, I’m 100. And as a team, we just got to keep pushing.”
Five numbers
6 Giannis Antetokounmpo missed all six of his free-throw attempts
118.5 The Bucks’ scoring average in their 14 games in January
35 Feet in approximate distance on A.J. Green’s three-pointer at end of third quarter
2 Made three-pointers in a game for Antetokounmpo, the first time this season
5 Straight games with 30 or more points for Antetokounmpo
Is Giannis playing?
Yes. Giannis Antetokounmpo was listed on the injury report as probable with right patella. Before the game, Bucks coach Doc Rivers said Antetokounmpo and the other players listed as probable – Damian Lillard, Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez, Gary Trent Jr. and Taurean Prince – as “good.”
What about Ja Morant?
No. The Grizzlies superstar guard is out with right shoulder soreness. He also didn’t play on Thursday.
Bucks starting lineup
- Guards: Damian Lillard, Andre Jackson Jr.
- Forwards: Taurean Prince, Giannis Antetokounmpo
- Center: Brook Lopez
What channel are the Bucks on?
The game will be broadcast on ESPN with Mark Jones, Tim Legler, Jorge Sedano. It will also be on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin with Lisa Byington, Marques Johnson and Melanie Ricks.
What time is the Bucks game?
Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Bucks injury report
- Bobby Portis Jr., out (personal reasons)
- Damian Lillard, available (left groin soreness)
- Giannis Antetokounmpo, available (right patella tendinopathy)
- Khris Middleton, available (bilateral ankle surgery injury management)
- Brook Lopez, available (back soreness)
- Gary Trent, available (left hip flexor soreness)
- Taurean Prince, available (right patella tendinopathy)
Bucks vs. Grizzlies odds, over/under
Milwaukee is a 3.5-point favorite over Memphis and the over/under for the game is 248.5, per BetMGM.com.
