Giannis Antetokounmpo outduels Ja Morant as Bucks top Grizzlies
Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks reacts after being charged with a foul against the Atlanta Hawks during the first half at State Farm Arena on January 17, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images/AFP
Giannis Antetokounmpo finished three assists shy of his fourth triple-double of the season Wednesday as the Milwaukee Bucks handed the Memphis Grizzlies their first road loss since Dec. 23 with a 126-114 win.
Antetokounmpo poured in 33 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and handed out seven assists while hitting 12 of 25 shots to help the Bucks snap their two-game losing streak. Khris Middleton added 27 points and Bobby Portis and George Hill each had 14. Pat Connaughton contributed 13 off the bench.
In addition to shooting 47.9 percent (46 of 96) from the field, Milwaukee made the most of its chances at the free-throw line, going 21-for-22 at the stripe.
Ja Morant was also on triple-double watch, pacing the Grizzlies with 33 points, eight rebounds and 14 assists. Jaren Jackson Jr. tallied 29 points, nine rebounds and four blocks on 9-of-20 shooting, and Brandon Clarke delivered 14 points off the bench.
Giannis and Ja dueled it out from start to finish in Milwaukee!@JaMorant: 33 PTS, 8 REB, 14 AST@Giannis_An34: 33 PTS, 15 REB, 7 AST pic.twitter.com/uaBfWUKKst
— NBA (@NBA) January 20, 2022
An 8-0 run late in the fourth trimmed Memphis’ deficit to just three points with 2:32 to play, but the Bucks responded with eight straight points of their own that ended up being enough to ward off any chance of a comeback.
The loss snaps Memphis’ six-game road winning streak and marks just the second loss in the month of January for the Grizzlies.
Milwaukee went into halftime with a 14-point lead thanks in part to a 17-4 run that started at the front end of the second quarter. Antetokounmpo led all scorers with 17 points, and Morant trailed closely behind with 16.
Memphis really struggled from behind the arc in the first half, shooting just 4 of 23 (17.4 percent). Morant had all four of the made 3-pointers.
Jackson Jr. caught fire following halftime, scoring 17 points in the third quarter to help bring the Grizzlies within nine heading into the fourth, 96-87. Memphis closed the frame on a 12-5 run.
Both teams found their offense early, as they combined for 66 points in the first quarter. The Bucks were on fire from 3-point range, making good on five of their first 10 shots from deep.
