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Bucks fall to Grizzlies

MILWAUKEE — Maybe the Milwaukee Bucks didn't get the memo.

The NBA's regular season isn't quite over yet.

Saturday night at the Bradley Center, the Bucks played the first 2½ quarters like they were already on summer vacation, falling behind by 20 points in the third quarter and going on to lose to the Memphis Grizzlies, 107-102.

The Bucks did stage a late rally to draw within three in the final minute, but it was a case of too little too late as Milwaukee saw its record fall to 32-46. Memphis is 22-54.

"We were out of sync right from the very beginning," said Bucks coach Scott Skiles. "I could make the case that maybe it's been since the Boston game at home (March 15) that we've had a really good defensive game.

"People were penetrating on us and the help was late. Anybody that saw the game could see the urgency we played with later in the game to give ourselves a chance. But when you keep playing from behind in the NBA, usually that's a disaster."

Said guard Charlie Bell, "The beginning of the game we didn't come out with the energy we needed, especially in a game like that. Two teams not really playing for a playoff spot but playing for pride. They came out and took it to us."

The Grizzlies were the aggressors throughout the first two quarters in building a 54-38 halftime lead. Memphis shot 48.5 percent in the first half compared to 34.9 percent for Milwaukee. Memphis made 16 of 20 free throws (80.0 percent), while the Bucks shot only six free throws, making three. Memphis out-rebounded the Bucks, 27-15.

The Bucks' first-half performance was so bad that Skiles benched starters Richard Jefferson, Charlie Villanueva and Ramon Sessions to start the second half and had Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Keith Bogans and Luke Ridnour on the floor instead.

Memphis stretched its lead to 68-48 with 7:44 left in the third quarter, but the Bucks came back to cut it to 71-64 after two free throws by Sessions with 3:20 left. The Grizzlies took an 82-73 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Bucks were behind by 10 with 1:40 left in the game, but Bogans sank a three-pointer, Sessions hit a short jump shot and Jefferson added two free throws to cut it to 105-102 with 40.5 seconds left. Mike Conley missed a jumper for Memphis, but Bell missed a three-pointer with 6 seconds left. O.J. Mayo of Memphis sank two free throws with 3.5 seconds remaining.

"We shouldn't have even been in that position to need a desperation shot with time running down," said Bell of his three-point try. "I had a good look. I wasn't sure what the time was on the clock and I kind of rushed it a little bit."

Skiles is growing weary of talking about comebacks.

"I don't know how many games I've been involved with in the NBA as a player and coach, but there aren't many times that a team goes down by 20 and then it goes to 30," he said. "A team always battles back. I'm kind of beyond tired of looking at that as a good thing.

"This is a game we needed to be ready right from the very beginning and come out with intensity and we didn't do it. I don't see any reason to B.S. anybody. We didn't do it and I've got to find a way to get us to do it."

Despite the loss, the Bucks' playoff hopes are actually still mathematical alive, since Detroit lost to Philadelphia on Saturday and there remains the possibility of a multi-team tie for the eighth position that would favor the Bucks. Milwaukee held down the eighth spot in the East for quite some time through mid-March, but the Bucks began to fade as their 3-10 record in March took its toll.

"We'll move on and try to win as many games as we can," said Skiles. "But we have to perform a lot better."