After a sizeable victory against the Washington Wizards, the Milwaukee Bucks aimed to keep the good times rolling as they visited the Memphis Grizzlies last night.
With both teams banged up with injuries, this would be an interesting one, but it was practically all Grizzlies from start to finish. Despite playing without their leading scorer in Ja Morant, the Grizzlies were in control throughout, having never surrendered the lead in the final three quarters. They are known for their depth, tenacity, and fearlessness, all of which were on display in last night’s tough 127-102 loss to Memphis. Before fans can forget about this one, here are three takeaways from a lopsided affair between Milwaukee and Memphis.
The Milwaukee Bucks’ offense looked ugly from start to finish with Jrue Holiday out of the lineup
The Bucks had been firing on all cylinders offensively prior to this matchup, boasting one of the best offenses in the entire league post-All-Star break. However, their typical scoring attack was nowhere to be found last night as the defending champions could not buy a bucket for a majority of the contest and had their share of troubles taking care of the basketball.
Milwaukee shot just 37-of-93 (39.8 percent) from the floor, including 7-of-32 (21.9 percent) from long range against Memphis. The Bucks looked off right from the start as they missed a handful of gimmes right at the rim and continued to do so throughout the game, which was uncharacteristic. In addition to their poor shooting, the Bucks could not get a grip on the ball as they turned it over 13 times, and the Grizzlies took advantage by scoring 17 points off the turnovers, per NBA.com.
Yet, it was their lackluster 3-point shooting that primarily stood out, as the Bucks could not knock down their looks with any consistency. Pat Connaughton, who had been on a hot streak over his last few games since returning from injury, was cold as he shot 0-for-4 from deep. Bobby Portis, George Hill, and Khris Middleton were all 1-of-4 from the outside, Grayson Allen was 1-of-3, and Wesley Matthews was 0-for-2. When Milwaukee’s perimeter shots are not dropping, especially to this magnitude, it is no surprise that the Bucks tend to struggle.
Another massive reason behind Milwaukee’s struggles was the absence of Jrue Holiday, who was out of the lineup due to ankle soreness. Holiday’s presence was dearly missed as he oftentimes steadies the ship on the offensive end, something this team did not have against Memphis. It is not a surprise that the Bucks are now 4-10 on the season when Holiday sits, given how important he is to their identity on both ends.