Salmons scores 25, Bucks rally past Grizzlies

MILWAUKEE — John Salmons scored 10 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, and the Milwaukee Bucks rallied to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 108-103 on Sunday.

Salmons twice put the Bucks ahead in the extra period with baskets, including the lead for good when he drained a fading 14-foot jumper with 1:35 left.

Rookie Brandon Jennings added 29 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, and Andrew Bogut had 18 points and 11 rebounds in his return after missing a game with a sore back to help the Bucks avoid a three-game losing streak.

Milwaukee is 16-4 since acquiring Salmons at the trade deadline from Chicago.

Zach Randolph led Memphis with 31 points and 15 rebounds, but was clearly frustrated down the stretch, chucking his headband toward the crowd after being called for a foul with 45 seconds to play in overtime.

Milwaukee rallied from a seven-point deficit midway through the fourth quarter when Jennings took control. Jennings, who had 11 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, had been struggling from the field in his past four games, but hit several contested layups.

He also made one costly mistake.

After putting the Bucks ahead 93-89 with a floater and again 94-92 with a free throw, he fouled Mike Conley in the corner with 2.1 seconds left in regulation.

The referees reviewed the shot, determining it was a 2-pointer, and Conley hit both free throws to send the game to overtime.

There, Grizzlies center Marc Gasol, who had missed the previous five games with a partially torn neck muscle, put Memphis up 98-96 with a jumper.

But Salmons hit a 3 to give Milwaukee a 99-98 lead. After O.J. Mayo, who finished with 17 points, had a run-out dunk with 1:48 to play, Salmons sank the jumper to give the Bucks the lead for good and Milwaukee hit six of its final seven free throws to seal it.

While Memphis came into the game just 1½ behind Milwaukee in the overall NBA standings, the teams have dynamically different postseason chances.

The Bucks are in fifth in the Eastern Conference and hold the tiebreaker over the four teams chasing them from behind, while the Grizzlies' chances are all but gone to catch Portland or San Antonio in the standings.

Milwaukee has also struggled with injuries and illness in the past few days. Bogut missed Friday's game because of a sore back that had limited him in his previous three and Ersan Ilyasova was out Friday with the flu.

Then, Carlos Delfino had to be taken off in a stretcher when he was inadvertently landed on by Heat forward Udonis Haslem on Friday night. Gasol had been out, too, and finished with 11 points and six rebounds before fouling out.

Milwaukee trailed 85-78 midway through the fourth, but the Grizzlies committed four turnovers down the stretch as the Bucks rallied. Ilyasova gave them their first lead of the period at 91-89 after a second-chance 3-pointer with 1:37 left.

But Conley's free throws sent the game to overtime.



(ajc.com)