Grizzlies-Bucks Preview

By KATE HEDLIN
Posted Mar 31 2012 1:24AM

The Milwaukee Bucks are trying to rise into the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Memphis Grizzlies are trying to hold on to a spot in the tightly-packed West.

The Bucks go for a third straight victory Saturday night when they host the Grizzlies.

Memphis is currently in sixth place in the Western Conference, just one game out of fifth but also only 1 1/2 ahead of ninth-place Utah. The Grizzlies (27-22) have dropped seven of 11, including a 98-89 loss at Houston on Friday.

While Memphis is struggling to maintain its playoff position, Milwaukee has reason for confidence after winning nine of its last 12.

The Bucks (24-27) moved within 1 1/2 games of New York for eighth in the East following a 121-84 victory over Cleveland on Friday - their highest-scoring game of the season. Milwaukee shot 56.8 percent overall and hit 10 of 16 from 3-point range.

"Our movement was good again," coach Scott Skiles said. "We had 19 assists and three turnovers at halftime. We just had a very, very, very good offensive game. ... There are certain nights when everybody is kind of seeing everybody and we really did a nice job of that (Friday)."

Brandon Jennings scored 28 points while Ersan Ilyasova, who missed the previous game with back spasms, added 20. Both sat out the entire fourth quarter with the victory well in hand.

The Bucks are averaging 108.0 points over their last 12 games - nearly 10 above their season average.

Those numbers could be concerning for a Memphis defense that struggled to make key stops in Friday's loss to the Rockets.

The Grizzlies never led and couldn't come back completely from a 17-point deficit. They pulled within three points with 4:39 to go, but Houston hit two big shots to keep Memphis at bay.

"We couldn't get a key stop or a key rebound or a key loose ball or whatever down the stretch," said guard Tony Allen, who had 15 points for his sixth straight game reaching double figures. "They showed they wanted it more than we did. It's going to be a battle for the rest of the season."

Starting center Marc Gasol returned after missing a game with a sore right ankle and had 19 points and nine rebounds. O.J. Mayo added 15 points.

The Grizzlies are giving up 102.1 points over the last nine games - up from the 93.9 per game they are allowing on the season.

Slow starts have been a problem. In their last four losses, they've been outscored by an average of 10.5 points in the first quarter.

Memphis has lost four of five on the road, but swept last season's two matchups against Milwaukee after losing seven of the previous eight in the series.

This is the only meeting between the Grizzlies and Bucks this season.

Mayo scores 24 to lead Grizzlies over Bucks 99-95

Posted Apr 01 2012 12:19AM

MILWAUKEE (AP) Without Mike Conley, the Memphis Grizzlies turned to O.J. Mayo and the rest of their reserves on Saturday night.

Mayo came in off the bench and scored a season-high 24 points, and Rudy Gay added 17 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a 99-95 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.

Conley missed his first game since Jan. 1 because of a sore right ankle, but Mayo and his fellow reserves picked up the slack with a combined 51 points.

"All of them came in there and did what was working," Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said. "Our bench was superb. What can you say? That was a great team win and we needed it after a disappointing loss last night."

Marc Gasol added 13 points and 14 rebounds for Memphis, which is in the midst of playing seven games in nine days. The Grizzlies opened the stretch with a 98-89 loss at Houston on Friday.

Brandon Jennings scored 24 points on 9-of-18 shooting for Milwaukee.

Ersan Ilyasova added 18 points and 15 rebounds for the Bucks, who were coming off a 37-point victory at Cleveland on Friday - their largest margin of victory since Feb. 20, 2002.

So not only was it frustrating for Milwaukee to respond this way, but New York also won to drop the Bucks 2 1/2 games behind the Knicks for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

"The fact that we come off a big win like that against the Cavs, then tonight we just let one get away from us," Jennings said. "With 14 games left, it seems like we're going to have to have a sense of urgency, which means we have to go into every game and play every 48 minutes like it's our last."

Mayo and Gay each came up big in the second half to help Memphis win for the third time in four games. Mayo scored 15 points after halftime and Gay, who missed all six of his shot attempts in the first half, had 14.

"We went to (Gay) a lot more (in the second half)," Hollins said. "Right off the bat, we decided to go to him and get him involved. . He and O.J. got it going in the fourth quarter as we extended the lead."

After Gasol slapped the ball out of Drew Gooden's hands as he went up for a shot near the lane, Mayo hit a 3-pointer from the left wing to give Memphis its biggest lead of the game, 93-81, with 3:49 left.

Luc Mbah a Moute stole the ball from Gay, which led to a layup by Jennings to trim the deficit to 95-90 with 57.9 seconds left.

After an airball from Mayo, Tony Allen fouled Ilyasova on a 3-point attempt. He made two of the free throws to trim the margin to 95-92 with 16.5 seconds remaining.

Mayo responded with two free throws for a 97-92 lead with 15.8 seconds to play, but again Memphis committed a silly foul. Gay fouled Ekpe Udoh on another shot from long range, and he made all three free throws to cut the deficit to 97-95 with 12.5 seconds to go.

Mayo clinched the victory with two more free throws for a 99-95 lead with 10.6 seconds to play. He made all 10 of his free-throw attempts in the game.

"He shot the ball and got to the free-throw line, which was huge," Hollins said. "We almost gave it away with turnovers and not smart plays, on defense fouling 3-point shooters."

Memphis outrebounded Milwaukee, 58-39, including 18 on the offensive end.

"It was a huge factor," Milwaukee coach Scott Skiles said. "It was a big point of emphasis and we just didn't get it done. When we're struggling offensively, that takes away clean rebounds, and outlets, and fast breaks, and hopefully getting some easy baskets. We just weren't able to do it."

Memphis held a 78-71 lead after three quarters when Mayo hit a 20-foot jumper from the right wing at the buzzer.

Notes: Gilbert Arenas scored four points after sitting out the last three games for Memphis (coach's decision). ... Jennings missed a two-handed dunk on a breakaway, proceeded to get the offensive rebound and then converted a three-point play with 1:02 left in the second quarter. . Milwaukee's Carlos Delfino missed his third game in a row with a groin injury. . Memphis recalled guard Josh Selby from Reno of the D-League earlier in the day. The rookie, who has played in 23 games with the Grizzlies, did not arrive in time.

Notebook: Grizzlies 99, Bucks 95

Posted Sunday April 1, 2012 12:10AM

By Rick Braun, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: O.J. Mayo scored 24 points, and all three starting front-court players posted double-doubles in points and rebounds as the Memphis Grizzlies used a substantial rebound margin to beat the Milwaukee Bucks, 99-95 Saturday night at the Bradley Center.

Forward Rudy Gay had 17 points and 10 rebounds, center Marc Gasol added 13 points and 15 rebounds and forward Marreese Speights had 10 points and 10 rebounds as the Grizzlies improved to 28-22.

Brandon Jennings led the Bucks with 24 points, Ersan Ilyasova had 20 and 16 rebounds and Drew Gooden also had 20 points for the Bucks, who have lost three of their last four at home. Milwaukee (24-28) fell 2 1/2 games behind New York for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot

QUOTABLE: "Me, Zach and Marc and all the bigs, we just go and attack the boards. They were playing small, so we knew we had an advantage on the boards. We just went out there and tried to get every rebound."
-- Speights on the Grizzlies' rebounding advantage

THE STAT: The Bucks simply could not keep the bigger Grizzlies off the boards, and Memphis' whopping 58-39 edge on the boards -- including 18-9 on the offensive glass -- was the leading reason for the final result.

TURNING POINT: Despite being well behind on the boards, the Bucks still held a 62-56 lead midway through the third quarter. From there they missed eight straight shots and had three turnovers as the Grizzlies went on a 14-0 run to take a 70-62 lead. The Bucks never got closer than three the rest of the way.

QUOTABLE II: "Hitting the boards and getting those easy little putbacks get us going."
-- Zach Randolph, who had 13 points and seven rebounds -- five offensive -- off the bench

HOT: Although he was just 6 of 15 from the floor, Mayo made all 10 of his free throws, including four in the final 15.8 seconds.

NOT: Bucks guard Monta Ellis didn't score from the field until 8:53 was left in the fourth quarter. He finished just 2 of 12 for eight points.

BAD MOVE: The Bucks actually had a chance in the final 20 seconds because the Grizzlies fouled two different shooters outside the 3-point line in a four-second span in the final half-minute. Tony Allen fouled Ilyasova with 16.5 seconds left, and Ilyasova made two of the three foul shots to make it 95-92. After Mayo made two free throws with 15.8 seconds left, Gay fouled Ekpe Udoh on a 3-pointer with 12.5 seconds left. Udoh made all three shots to make it 97-95.

NOTABLE: Memphis point guard Mike Conley did not dress for the game because of a sore right ankle. He wasn't on the team's pre-game injury report and coach Lionel Hollins didn't reveal Conley wouldn't play when he met with reporters before the game. ... With Conley out, Gilbert Arenas played 16 minutes, 36 seconds and scored four points. ... Jennings missed a breakaway dunk late in the second quarter, but since he was the only player at the end he chased down his own rebound in the corner and turned it into a 3-point play when he was fouled by Gay as he made a jumper from the left wing. ... The Grizzlies missed 11 straight shots and turned the ball over five times in a seven-minute span of the first quarter, but the Bucks only capitalized minimally with an 11-1 run to take a 19-9 lead before Mayo closed the quarter with a driving layup. ... The Bucks are 8-12 in their last 20 home games after starting the season 4-0 at the Bradley Center. ... After a game at Washington on Monday, the Bucks will play their next five at home.

UP NEXT: For the Grizzlies, Monday @ Oklahoma City, Tuesday vs. Golden State, Wednesday @ Dallas. For the Bucks, Monday @ Washington, Wednesday vs. Cleveland, Friday vs. Charlotte.

• Grizzlies: Arthur
• Bucks: Brown, Delfino

• Grizzlies: --
• Bucks: --

• Lead Changes: 8
• Times Tied: 11

• Arena: Bradley Center, Milwaukee, WI
• Officials: #36 David Jones, #47 Bennie Adams, #66 Haywoode Workman
• Attendance: 17106
• Duration: 2:19