The Memphis Grizzles haven’t had much to celebrate this season, but they’re heading into the All-Star Break on a high note after pulling out a massive 113-110 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. Memphis led 94-85 heading into the fourth quarter, and held on for the win after Damian Lillard’s last-second heave from just in front of halfcourt landed nowhere near the basket.
FanDuel listed the Grizzlies as 14.5-point 'dogs and +700 on the money. However, instead of folding, they pulled off the third-biggest upset of the year. Only the Lakers’ 114-105 win over the Celtics as 15.5-point ‘dogs and the Hornets’ 111-104 win over the Kings as a 15-point ‘dogs were bigger upsets.
Memphis heads into the All-Star break in 13th place in the Western Conference and 8.5 games behind the Golden State Warriors for the final spot in the play-in tournament. Meanwhile, the Bucks have dropped to third in the East behind the surging Cleveland Cavaliers. They’re also only 1.5 games up on the New York Knicks and two games ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Milwaukee has struggled mightily since dismissing Adrian Griffin and making the switch to Doc Rivers. The Bucks were 30-13 when they fired Griffin, who was in his first year as head coach. However, they’re now 3-7 in the Rivers era and look broken.
In fact, despite Milwaukee boasting two starters in this weekend’s All-Star Game, Shaq predicts the Bucks will flame out in the first round if they don’t quickly right the ship.
