Bucks at Grizzlies
The Milwaukee Bucks' latest surge has them in the top eight of the Eastern Conference and one win short of reaching .500 for the first time since they were 20-20 on Jan. 16. The Bucks will try to win their seventh straight game and get back to even when they open a six-game road trip by visiting the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday.
Milwaukee is allowing an average of 94.3 points during its six-game winning streak and will put that defense to the test during a road trip that includes stops at the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors. "It just shows our maturity and not worrying so much about the offensive end," Bucks coach Jason Kidd told reporters after watching his team hold off the Minnesota Timberwolves 102-95 on Saturday. "If things don't go well, we come back and try to get another stop." The Grizzlies are stumbling in the opposite direction with losses in five straight and a defense leaking an average of 114 points in that span. "Our defensive trust is out the door right now and we’ve got to get that back and we’ve been drilling that," Memphis coach David Fizdale told reporters. "Offensively our execution is off at points in the game - at critical points in the game when we really need to execute and get a great shot."
TV: 8 p.m. ET, FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee), FSN Southeast (Memphis)
ABOUT THE BUCKS (32-33): Milwaukee placed seven scorers in double figures in Saturday's win, and rounding out the scoring options is taking some of the pressure off All-Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. The "Greek Freak" still logged 40 minutes and scored 18 points on Saturday but watched the likes of Matthew Dellavedova and Tony Snell combine to go 8-of-14 from 3-point range to keep the floor spread. The return of shooting guard Khris Middleton provided the biggest boost, though his 11 points on Saturday marked his lowest total in seven games this month.
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (36-30): Memphis dipped to seventh place in the West with its latest slide, one game behind the sixth-place Oklahoma City Thunder. "We're in a rut right now and we’re going to find our way out of it," Fizdale told reporters after Saturday's 107-90 home loss to Atlanta. "The only answers are with us and that locker room. I really like the way certain guys are setting up in there right now and really keeping these guys together and in the fight." All-Star center Marc Gasol had the roughest night on Saturday, slumping to eight points on 3-of-11 shooting.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Bucks rookie G Malcolm Brogdon (back) missed the last two games and is day-to-day.
2. Grizzlies SG Vince Carter (1,332) moved into 15th place on the NBA's list of all-time games played.
3. Milwaukee took the first meeting, topping Memphis 106-96 at home on Nov. 12.