Grizzlies send Bucks into All-Star break with upset loss

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Ziaire Williams and GG Jackson scored 27 points each, and the Memphis Grizzlies held on for a 113-110 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night in both teams' final game before the All-Star break.

Vince Williams added 18 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists for Memphis. Ziaire Williams' points reached a career high.

“It feels good,” Ziaire Williams said of the win against the No. 3 team in the Eastern Conference. “Proud of this team. We fought every game. It's good to see. One man goes down and another man goes up. We're just having fun.”

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, but coach Doc Rivers thought some of his players got caught heading into the break.

“We had guys here and guys in Cabo [San Lucas]” Rivers said.

The Bucks closed as 14½-point favorites, according to ESPN BET, making it their third-biggest surprise loss in the last 30 years.

Memphis held a nine-point lead with 49 seconds left, but Malik Beasley's consecutive three-pointers brought the Bucks within 113-110 with 29.2 to play. Milwaukee had the final possession, but a midcourt scramble for the ball took up much of the remaining time, and Lillard's 3-pointer at the horn fell short as Memphis earned its second straight victory.

“I think [Lillard] I just got stuck in traffic,” Rivers said.

Lillard said there was a miscommunication between him and Lopez who started the last play in the wrong direction.

“We did opposite things,” Lillard said, adding, “They just played on it, and it was loose and we didn’t end up getting a clear picture.”

With the teams deadlocked at halftime, Memphis built a nine-point lead on several occasions around midway through the third. But the Grizzlies' depleted front line couldn't do much to stop Antetokounmpo from going downhill on his drives to the basket.

Three quick baskets inside with about five minutes left gave Milwaukee a 100-98 lead. The teams traded leads until a 3-pointer by Jackson and an alley-oop dunk by Ziaire Williams and the ensuing foul shot increased Memphis' lead to 107-102 with 2:15 to play.

Memphis' lead would reach 92-82 by the end of the third as the Grizzlies shot 76% in the period, including connecting on all four 3-point attempts. It was the only 10-point lead for either team in the game.

Milwaukee got off to a bad start, which worried Rivers even in his pregame comments. Heading into the break, he feared his team was already mentally gone.

“They’re tough games,” Rivers said, as if predicting the tone of the game against the short-handed Grizzlies. “Yeah, it’s a panic game for the coaches.”

The Grizzlies announced after the game that they had lost another player, saying Scotty Pippen Jr. would miss at least three weeks with a bulging disc in his lower back.

In 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, scoring 10 points – hitting all five of his shots – and dishing out four assists.

Jackson led the Grizzlies with 19 points.

He didn't have as much success in the second half, but made a few 3-pointers in the final five minutes as the Bucks tried to come back. The 19-year-old, who was the 45th pick in last year's draft, said despite his young age he didn't feel the pressure.

“That’s what every basketball player wants,” Jackson said. “If they don’t want to experience that moment, you have to ask yourself what kind of athlete they are.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.