Grizzlies at Bucks
It took a last-second shot by Marc Gasol, but the Memphis Grizzlies managed to beat the Denver Nuggets and earn a split of a four-game homestand to turn the momentum heading into a four-game road trip. The Grizzlies, who will play eight of the remaining 11 games this month away from home, kick off the trip by visiting the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday.
Memphis nearly had a three-game losing streak after squandering a seven-point lead in 41 seconds down the stretch on Tuesday, but Vince Carter found Gasol with an inbounds pass with 0.7 seconds left and the veteran center knocked down the shot for a 108-107 victory. "We make it interesting, don’t we?" Grizzlies coach David Fizdale told reporters. "I’m just really proud of my guys for handling adversity. Everything that could go wrong went wrong. But they just kept staying with it. They executed the one play we needed to execute. Most teams would crumble under that situation." The Bucks handed the New Orleans Pelicans their first win with a 112-106 home loss on Thursday and dropped two in a row to previously winless teams following a 4-2 start. Milwaukee is about to hit a tough part of the schedule with games against Memphis, Atlanta, Miami, Golden State, Toronto and Cleveland before the end of the month.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, FSN Southeast (Memphis), FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee)
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (4-4): Memphis spent a lot of money on the likes of Gasol, Mike Conley and Chandler Parsons, but 39-year-old Carter is proving to be just as important a piece in Fizdale's rotation. Carter became the oldest player to score 20 points in a game since Michael Jordan (40) in 2003 when he went 8-of-13 from the field on Tuesday while adding five assists, three rebounds and two blocks in 31 minutes off the bench. "I told coach I’ll do whatever (is needed) and I’ll deal with the consequences later," Carter told the team's website. "I’ve learned how to take care of my body. I’ll go lift. I’ll go stretch, go sit in the cold tub. Thank God for three days (off). I’m thankful I’m able to compete and help make a difference in a game. I love playing and being a part of this."
ABOUT THE BUCKS (4-4): Milwaukee forward Jabari Parker was a bright spot in an otherwise down night on Thursday, scoring a season-high 33 points on 13-of-26 shooting to go with nine rebounds. The 21-year-old is averaging 22.3 points on 51.7 percent shooting in the last five games after a tough start. "It's just getting better," Parker told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "I'm getting in the places where I can be effective and then from there, using the best play. If I'm being aggressive, I think I'm doing my job. That's my duty on the team."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Parsons scored nine points on 4-of-8 shooting in his second game since returning from knee surgery Tuesday after going 0-of-8 in his team debut on Sunday.
2. Bucks SF Giannis Antetokounmpo committed five personal fouls in each of the last two games and is averaging four turnovers in the last four contests.
3. The teams split two meetings last season, with Milwaukee earning a 96-86 win on its home floor on Mar. 17.