Grizzlies top Bucks 108-102 in second preseason game as Big Three sit
The Milwaukee Bucks (1-1) lost their first preseason game of year as they fell 108-102 to the Memphis Grizzlies (2-0) at FedExForum on Tuesday night. The game is the start of a weeklong, three-game preseason road trip for Milwaukee. They play at the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.
In taking a 53-51 lead into the half, the Bucks were paced by Brook Lopez and Pat Connaughton (10 points each). Desmond Bane scored 14 points to lead the Grizzlies while Jaren Jackson Jr. added 13. Memphis took a 76-71 lead after three quarters and never looked back, building as much as a 14-point lead a few minutes into the fourth quarter.
The Bucks' bench, led by MarJon Beauchamp and rookie Andre Jackson Jr. went on a 15-5 run late to get to 105-99 but they couldn't get over the hump.
Giannis, Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton held out
After they both participated in practice Monday in Milwaukee, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard were held out of Tuesday night's preseason game against the Grizzlies. Khris Middleton, who had a scheduled rest day Monday, also did no play.
But, newly acquired point guard Cam Payne made his Bucks debut. He started and played 15 minutes, going 0 for 6 from the field with five assists.
AJ Green (calf) and Chris Livingston (ankle) had missed the Bucks' exhibition opener on Sunday, but returned to practice Monday and played against the Grizzlies.
The Bucks headed to Los Angeles after the game, where they will get in three practices before playing the Lakers on Sunday.
"I think we've got the best of both worlds coming up, looking at our schedule," Griffin said before the team departed for Memphis. "We'll get some live play in games and we'll also have some really good, quality practice times we'll be able to get in in L.A.
"Almost a coach's dream where we can compete, practice and compete again. But at the same time we want to use the preseason. It's almost like, you have to practice practice. It's hard to do that during the season. So we've got to use this time, even if there is a game coming up, our practices have to be competitive, high energy and focused on getting the job done."
Bucks schedule: A look at Milwaukee's five preseason opponents
Bucks turn up the heat
From the moment he was introduced as the Bucks head coach, Griffin said he wanted his team to play with more ball pressure and aggressiveness. They opened the exhibition slate by forcing 15 Chicago turnovers, which resulted in 21 points. Milwaukee ramped that up in Memphis, forcing 10 in the first half alone. The Grizzlies wound up giving the ball away 13 times through the first three quarters when the rotation players were in.
Unfortunately, the Bucks were just as giving against the Bulls by turning it over 19 times on their own. They tightened that up against the Grizzlies with just one turnover in the opening quarter and five in the first half. But once the bench was emptied, Milwaukee finished with 18 on the game.
Washington Jr. gets long look at point guard
The Bucks have three players on two-way contracts for training camp, and all are point guards. Lindell Wigginton, who has played 26 regular season games for the teams over the last two years, rookie Omari Moore and second-year man TyTy Washington Jr.
Washington Jr. was an interesting addition, as he was the No. 29 pick in the 2022 draft by Memphis (and immediately traded to Houston). Lost in a very youthful Rockets back court as a rookie, Washington Jr. was part of a salary cap trade to Oklahoma City in the summer and then waived before signing with the Bucks. The 6-foot, 3-inch guard played 23 minutes off the bench against Chicago, handing out seven assists and scoring six points on 2 of 7 shooting. He missed all four of his three-pointers.
Against Memphis, Washington Jr. saw 14 minutes of action and had nine points, two rebounds and an assist. Moore has yet to play while Wigginton played 19 minutes after starting against Chicago.
Washington Jr., Moore and Wigginton are eligible to play in a maximum of 50 regular season games.
Why did Ja Morant not play?
Grizzlies star guard Ja Morant has been suspended for the preseason and the first 25 games of the regular season for conduct detrimental to the league after flashing handguns multiple times on his social media account.
5 numbers
0 Three-pointers attempted by Bobby Portis through the first two preseason games. In his first three seasons in Milwaukee, he averaged 5.2 three-point attempts per game.
2-2 Free throws made by Jake LaRavia after leaving the game for a bit following a hard foul by Pat Connaughton with just under three minutes left in the third quarter. The Bucks have preached competitiveness throughout camp and Connaughton challenged LaRavia on his way to the rim. LaRavia fell hard on his right wrist.
3-7 Fouls in minutes played for Bucks center Robin Lopez after he checked in during the first half. He ended up playing 20 minutes and was called for two more fouls.
5 Rebounds in 24 minutes for Memphis center Jaren Jackson Jr., who admitted that he needed to work on that part of his game following a summer in which he was exposed in FIBA World Cup play as a poor rebounder.
8 Points for Beauchamp on 2-of-11 shooting.
Play of the game
There is a huge opportunity in the Bucks starting lineup alongside the Big Three and Brook Lopez and it appears that Beasley is going to have a chance to clinch that spot – but it’ll start with defense. After drawing Zach LaVine in the preseason opener, Beasley took on Memphis shooting guard Desmond Bane. But Beasley immediately put his stamp on the game against the Grizzlies with court awareness and picking off a Jaren Jackson Jr. pass and coasting in for a fast break dunk for the Bucks’ first basket of the game. There proved to be some more exciting plays as the game wore on but considering what’s on the line for Beasley this camp it’s big that he started the game locked in defensively.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Grizzlies top Bucks 108-102 in second preseason game as Big Three sit
