Grizzlies 82, Bucks 77
James Johnson blocked a career-high six shots and scored eight of his 15 points early in the final quarter and fellow reserve Ed Davis added 14 points and nine rebounds as Memphis slipped past host Milwaukee.
Mike Conley scored 15 points as the only Grizzlies starter to reach double digits. Kosta Koufos added 10 points as Memphis won its fourth straight game to reach the .500 mark.
Brandon Knight scored 27 points for the Bucks, who lost their seventh straight game. Larry Sanders added 10 points and 12 rebounds but missed a tying 3-point attempt with three seconds remaining before Courtney Lee hit two free throws to seal it for Memphis.
Johnson scored eight straight points as the Grizzlies rolled off the first 12 of the final stanza for a 70-60 advantage. The lead was 78-67 after Conley’s basket before the Bucks used a 10-2 burst to move within three before Sanders’ shot bounced off the back of the rim.
Memphis led by as many as 14 in the first half before settling for a 42-35 lead at the break. The Bucks caught the Grizzlies at 51 on a 3-pointer by Knight, who drained another from behind the arc in the final minute as Milwaukee took a 60-58 advantage into the fourth quarter.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Memphis C Marc Gasol was scoreless in 14 minutes in his second game since returning from a knee injury. … F John Henson and F Ersan Ilyasova grabbed 13 rebounds apiece as Milwaukee had a 51-43 advantage on the boards. … The Grizzlies held a 44-36 edge in points in the paint and committed just nine turnovers.