Milwaukee vs. Memphis: Short-Handed Bucks Fall to Grizzlies, 137-114

Against the Bucks’ wacky starting lineup, the Memphis Grizzlies were able to get the job done and secure a 137-114 victory Friday night against Milwaukee.

It was definitely unique start to the game, as the Bucks opted to trot out an extraordinary starting five given the fact that they’ve locked up the No. 1 seed (Wigginton, AJ Green, Jae Crowder, MarJon Beauchamp, and Meyers Leonard). Despite the oddities, this lineup stuck with Memphis throughout the first. The Grizzlies did hoist a 36-31 lead after the first quarter of play, though.

Jae Crowder would piece together quite the half, totaling 18 points in the first two quarters. Lindell Wigginton also starting coming alive, piecing together 16 points. Those two helped Milwaukee capture a slight advantage headed into halftime, 72-71.

The Grizzlies started to pull away in the third, constructing a double-digit lead a few minutes into the period. Going into the fourth, the Bucks found themselves down 108-87.

From that point on, there wasn’t much that the Bucks could do to make things competitive. Although that was the case, it was still fun seeing the bench guys play out there. When the final horn sounded, the Grizzlies took home a 137-114 victory.

Jaren Jackson Jr. led all scorers in this one, posting an impressive 36 point outing.

Lindell Wigginton served as the game-high scorer for Milwaukee, lighting things up with 25 points. Jae Crowder poured in 24 points of his own.

The Bucks will now travel to Toronto where they’ll play their final game of the regular season.

Three Observations

Jae Crowder had the performance you wanted to see.

A majority of the Bucks’ firepower was absent from this one, but there were still some players that registered some key minutes, with Crowder leading the way. He finished his outing with 24 minutes and 24 points. Pre-game, Mike Budenholzer talked about how he’d likely play due to the fact that he’s struggled in getting a level of consistent playing since coming to Milwaukee. As the playoffs near, Crowder is going to be relied on, so as much of a groove as he can be in is the goal. Last night, he achieved just that. Here’s Bud in his presser discussing Crowder:

Lindell Wigginton had a career night.

In a game that provided a fantastic opportunity, Lindell Wigginton took advantage. He ended up scoring a career-high 25 points which led the Bucks. In addition, he had his impact felt in other areas, spreading out 11 assists and reeling in five rebounds. Now, the only way he’ll find playing time in the playoffs is if there’s a blowout. However, this was still great to see for him. It’s always fun to see guys get their chance and have fun out there, and that’s exactly what he did. Bud had nothing but praise for him in his postgame presser:

Jackpot Shot history was made.

Against the Bulls, a fan buried their final attempt as the horn sounded to win $10,000.

Well...

IT HAPPENED AGAIN!

Okay, let’s break it down. There never really was an attempt that was close to start things off. Then, the pass to him escapes and goes into the back-court. Thankfully, Joe Ingles was there to save the day and dish it back to the fan, leaving one last-chance hope for a miracle...and that’s exactly what happened. Nothing but net. An A+ mob by the Bucks’ game ops crew too, which was so good that Jae Crowder himself decided he had to get in on the action. What a memory for that fan. So cool.

Bonus Bucks Bits

• This was pretty hilarious to hear and see prior to last night’s game:

This also prompted a bunch of Grizzlies fans to get in my mentions with optimism that Adams was in fact taking the floor for some shots.

• Last night was the Bucks’ final regular season home game. They continued to play on their blue court as their primary one remains sidelined due to repairs. It remains unclear when that court will return or if it will be ready for the playoffs.
• The Bucks featured a Ray Allen bobblehead giveaway last night. In addition to announcing “Lights Out” on the jumbotron with a pre-recorded message prior to the starting lineups, the sharpshooter was actually in the crowd sitting court-side. It was his first time back in Milwaukee in a very long time. Here’s some more on this:

• Prior to the game, Chris Haynes provided an update on Khris Middleton:

• Last, this was extremely cool to see: