The Milwaukee Bucks returned home Sunday seeking a get-right win against the Grizzlies, but even Giannis Antetokounmpo couldn’t overcome Memphis’ combination of size and energy. Missing their best scorer in point guard Ja Morant, the visitors annihilated the Bucks on the boards, 61 to 36, grabbing a 22 to 8 advantage on the offensive glass en route to a 132-119 victory.
Without Bobby Portis for the fifth straight game (personal reasons), Milwaukee clearly lacked the frontcourt depth to counter a team like Memphis, but Giannis wasn’t about to give his guys a pass.
“All the guards gotta come and help rebound,” Giannis said. “At times we did it and at times we didn’t. They got so many extra possessions.” Second chances at the rim helped give the Grizzlies a 66 to 36 margin in paint points.
Despite an efficient 30 points from Giannis (14-21 on field goals), plus his 11 rebounds and 7 assists, Milwaukee dropped its fourth in five games and fell to 5th in the East at 26-21.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Cites Size As Issue for Milwaukee Bucks vs Memphis Grizzlies
At power forward and center, Jaren Jackson Jr and Zach Edey are a bona fide Memphis menace. Sunday night, Jackson dominated his matchup with Giannis–something few bigs do–to finish with 37 points, including a 7-13 mark from deep.
“When there’s only one big it’s kind of hard,” admitted Giannis, referencing the lineup limitations the Bucks have faced without Portis. “Especially when they have two big men like Edey and Jackson, both 7-foot. One guy’s like 7’9, 8’2. He’s tall.”
Antetokounmpo’s joke refers to Edey, who backed up Jackson’s performance with 14 points and 11 rebounds, 6 of them offensive. The 9th overall pick in last year’s draft, the Purdue rookie checks in at 7’4 and 300 lbs. Maybe Giannis was only half-joking.
Asked how Jackson found success, he gave his adversary a glowing review. “Definitely one of the best power forwards in the league. He was able to make shots and get to his spot.”
While he held the team accountable for crashing the glass, Giannis also conceded that missing Portis’ rebounding ability hurts. With only Antetokounmpo and Lopez in the rotation, Doc Rivers has no choice but to employ single-big lineups for significant minutes, using Taurean Prince or Khris Middleton at the four.
If tonight wasn’t clear enough, the Bucks’ 1-4 record without their backup center suggests that they need him badly.
Sloppy Play at the Wrong Time
Rebounding wasn’t the only problem. Although the teams were essentially even in box score giveaways, Milwaukee caved in the final minutes to help seal the deal. In a three-minute stretch during clutch time, Giannis, Middleton and Damian Lillard turned it over five times.
The Bucks’ best player emphasized this lapse as crucial to the outcome. “The last four minutes were all mental,” he said. Other than that, Giannis liked the overall effort. “Pretty much we played good basketball. We moved the ball, found the open man. But down the stretch the ball bounced their way and they were able to get the win.”
After a back-and-forth first half, the Bucks seem to assert control late, taking a six-point lead into the final period that grew to 8 off a Middleton bucket. From there, however, Memphis blew past them on a 17-2 run, quashing a comeback attempt that had the home squad within three, 119-116, when Middleton alley-ooped to Giannis for a lay-in with 3:31 to go.
It was another sparkling night from the floor for Milwaukee’s maligned sixth man, who notched a second straight 20-point night on 7-10 shooting (4-5 on triples). His performance was offset, however, by another rough game from Lillard: 4 of 15 from the field for 15 points and 9 assists.
It has been an exhausting stretch for the Bucks, something Giannis recognized. He also said that it isn’t important: “It doesn’t matter how tired I am. Sometimes my tank is going to have 15%, sometimes it’s ging to have 100%, sometimes 80%.” No matter what, he’s going to give all he has.
“As a team we just got to keep pushing,” Antetokounmpo continued. “I know we’ve had a tough schedule, a tough stretch, but we’re not the only team in the league going through this. We just got to keep pushing.”
Milwaukee returns to the road for a three-game set that begins with the second leg of their back-to-back at 8 PM Monday against the Thunder.
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