Field Level Media
Jan 16, 2019
Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded 27 points and 11 rebounds as the Milwaukee Bucks posted a 111-101 victory over the host Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night.
Eric Bledsoe added 16 points as Milwaukee won for the 14th time in the past 17 games. D.J. Wilson scored a career-best 13 points, and Sterling Brown and Khris Middleton had 11 apiece as the Bucks moved a season-best 20 games over .500.
Milwaukee, which led by as many as 31 points, won by double digits for the NBA-leading 23rd time this season.
Omri Casspi scored 17 points for Memphis, which has dropped nine of its past 10 games and 16 of 20. JaMychal Green had 14 points and 10 rebounds, Mike Conley and Marc Gasol also scored 14 points, and Shelvin Mack added 11.
The Grizzlies shot just 38.9 percent from the floor and were 10 of 31 from 3-point range. The Bucks made 47.6 percent of their shots while hitting 12 of 34 from behind the arc.
Milwaukee led by five points at halftime but pulled away by scoring 41 points on 16-of-25 shooting in the third quarter.
Conley and Gasol hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Grizzlies a 59-58 edge with 8:09 left before the Bucks delivered their first knockout push.
Bledsoe scored 12 points -- including the first nine -- during a 19-0 spurt that saw the Bucks open up a 77-59 advantage with 4:14 remaining. The lead reached 23 points on George Hill's basket with 39.3 seconds left before Memphis tallied the final five points to trim its deficit to 91-73 going into the fourth quarter.
The margin was 20 early in the fourth quarter when Antetokounmpo scored six points during a 12-1 burst that increased the lead to 108-77 with 7:58 left. The Bucks pulled their starters, and the Grizzlies considerably cut into the margin.
Antetokounmpo had 15 points and seven rebounds in the first half as the Bucks took a 50-45 lead.
Milwaukee held a 26-12 lead after Wilson's 3-pointer with 2:28 left in the first quarter before Memphis cut its deficit to 28-26 two minutes into the second quarter.
The Grizzlies trailed by one after Conley's made three free throws with 1:09 left in the half, but the Bucks scored eight of the final 12 points for the five-point edge.
--Field Level Media