Bucks 112, Grizzlies 111: Late rally and game-winning shot by Jrue Holiday have Milwaukee entering break on a high note
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The Milwaukee Bucks did not want to overlook the Memphis Grizzlies and have their minds wander toward the all-star break, and for a half they looked focused and sharp in taking an 18-point first half lead. They would lose that lead, only to see their “Big Three” of Jrue Holiday, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton pull out a 112-111 victory in the final seconds Thursday night at FedExForum.
The Bucks now go into the break at 22-14 overall.
Milwaukee lost its big lead at the end of the third quarter and would trail by as many as seven in the fourth quarter. But, beginning at the 5-minute, 14-second mark the Bucks gradually worked 100-93 deficit down thanks to several key plays on defense by Holiday and his eventual game-winning shot with two seconds left.
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Memphis nearly closed out the Bucks thanks to the play of guard Ja Morant, who scored 35 points and handed out five assists – with 28 of those points coming in the second half.
And he gave his team a 106-103 lead to kick off a furious closing 90 seconds.
82 seconds left: Middleton pulled the Bucks to 106-105 on a tough runner.
61 seconds: Antetokounmpo squared up on Morant defensively, but he took the reigning Defensive Player of the Year to the paint and drew a foul. Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer challenged the call, but it stood. Morant made the front end of the pair to make it 107-105 but he missed the second – his first of the game.
61 seconds: The Grizzlies corralled the offensive rebound and looked to run out some clock. Morant pulled the ball back near halfcourt, this time drawing Holiday.
49.7 seconds: Holiday swiped the ball away and dove on top of it to give the Bucks possession
39.1 seconds: Antetokounmpo’s gravity pulled in the Memphis defense leaving Pat Connaughton open on the wing. Antetokounmpo kicked it out and Connaughton made it, giving the Bucks a 108-107 lead. They had been 0 for 13 from the three-point line to that point.
25.6 seconds: Grizzlies guard Dylan Brooks lofted a floater up to the rim and Antetokounmpo swatted it, but the officials called it a goaltend. The play was reviewed, and upheld, giving the Grizzlies a 109-108 lead.
13.3 seconds: Middleton drew a foul as his shot rattled around the rim and out. He calmly sunk two free throws to give the Bucks a 110-109 lead.
7.3 seconds: Morant got the rim sidestepping Donte DiVincenzo and shielding the layup from Antetokounmpo.
DiVincenzo quickly inbounded the ball to Holiday. With no timeouts left, Holiday skated to left side of the court and got Brooks leaning.
2.0 seconds: Holiday stepped back from 11 feet and knocked it down with two seconds left.
Inbounding from halfcourt, the Grizzlies were left with Desmond Bane heaving a 28-footer at the buzzer that came up short.
Antetokounmpo paced the Bucks with 26 points, 11rebounds and eight assists. And by doing so he moved up the all-time franchise rankings in two categories during the game.
He passed Sidney Moncrief on the scoring list and is now third with 11,617. His eight assists also moved him into third place all time.
Middleton struggled from the field on 6 of 17 shooting, but scored 22 points. But he went 9 for 9 from the free throw line and added 10 rebounds.
D.J. Augustin started for the sixth time in the last seven games (he missed one game for the birth of a child) as Holiday continued to work on his conditioning in his return from COVID-19. Holiday, limited to 18 minutes in his first two games, played 23 minutes.
He went 6 for 14 from the floor and scored 15 points and had three steals and two assists. Connaughton scored 15 points and made three, three-pointers.
Brooks added 23 points for the Grizzlies.
Morant got the Grizzlies back into it by getting hot in the third quarter, scoring 16 of the Grizzlies’ 33 points as they completely erased a large first-half deficit to go into the fourth quarter tied at 84.
Milwaukee started the third quarter hot, taking a 67-53 lead but were outscored 31-17 the rest of the way. A three-point play by Morant with 46 seconds left tied the game at 82, and he and Antetokounmpo traded free throws to end the quarter.
The Bucks got out to a fast start in the game, running out to a 31-17 first quarter lead despite turning the ball over six times. Morant would not score until the 3:37 remained in the first half but then he quickly piled up seven points as the Grizzlies would pull to within 61-51 at the break.
Milwaukee led by as many as 18 in the half.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Bucks 112, Grizzlies 111: Late rally and game-winning shot by Jrue Holiday have Milwaukee entering break on a high note