Milwaukee Bucks: 3 takeaways from 112-111 win over Memphis Grizzlies

In their final game before the All-Star break, the Milwaukee Bucks notched a big win against the Memphis Grizzlies Thursday night.

It was not a pretty 48 minutes of action for the Bucks, but they fought until the final buzzer and came out on top with a 112-111 victory to close out the first portion of the season. Giannis Antetokounmpo paved the way as he put together another MVP-caliber performance with 26 points, 11 rebounds, and eight rebounds to lead Milwaukee to their 22nd win of the season.

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Sitting at 22-14 heading into the break, there is certainly still work to be done for the Bucks in their quest for an NBA championship.

This team is still working through the process of making the necessary adjustments on a nightly basis, and last night’s fourth quarter evidenced the adversity they will have to endure to become a better team on the biggest stage.

With that being said, here are three takeaways from Milwaukee’s gutsy win over Memphis in last night’s thrilling action.

First takeaway from win over Memphis Grizzlies — Milwaukee Bucks go cold from deep in the second half

Holding a 61-51 lead at halftime, the Bucks likely felt good about the final 24 minutes ahead coming out of the tunnel.

Everything was relatively working in their favor throughout the first two periods, but that changed as they came out in the second half ice cold from behind the arc. Over the final two quarters, the Bucks could not buy a bucket from long range by missing their first 13 3-point attempts over the second half.

Unable to hit a three, Milwaukee’s double-digit lead vanished, and the Grizzlies asserted themselves in the driver’s seat for a vast majority of the fourth quarter with a consistent lead.

Finally, Pat Connaughton broke the spell with 39.1 seconds left in the game by knocking down Milwaukee’s first triple of the half. It was one the Bucks desperately needed to fall too, as it gave them a 108-107 lead to help notch their eventual victory.

Including his clutch triple to take the lead late, Connaughton had an impactful game for the Bucks off the bench and finished with an impressive 15 points on the night. Connaughton certainly deserves credit for knocking down that triple late, but the biggest shot in the game undoubtedly came just moments later from his teammate to nearly seal the deal.