The Bucks were the victims of a rare blowout loss on Thursday against Ja Morant and the Grizzlies, ultimately falling 142-101.
The final score — plus the fact Giannis Antetokounmpo was playing for visiting Milwaukee — made for a fun night for Memphis faithful who watched the game at FedExForum. The Grizzlies' bench added another twist to the festivities, participating in a crowd wave with five minutes remaining in the game:
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It's not every team takes a jab like that at their opponents, let alone the current No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. But the Grizzlies, who like the Bucks pulled their starters before the end of the third quarter, clearly are not every team. They are currently atop the standings in the Western Conference following their win and a loss by the Pelicans. Memphis is 19-9 and on a seven-game win streak.
Ja Morant, who had a had a 25-point, 10-rebound, 10-assist triple-double, was a part of the wave, as was Desmond Bane, Dillon Brooks and others. He said he was a "big fan" of the fun.
“Just us having fun,” Morant said (via the Memphis Commercial Appeal). “I felt like obviously we deserved it, with how we played tonight.
"Fan engagement," he added. "They've been here the whole time rooting us on and helping us win games every time we needed them, so a lot of credit goes to them. I know that's a great feeling for the players to be involved with that wave. I know they won't forget it, and it made them respect us even more and love us even more to start that as a Grizz thing."
Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer seemed not to take offense to the wave, telling reporters after the game the team had to own up to its blowout loss.
"Give Memphis a lot of credit," Budenholzer said. "We were just beaten soundly in every way, shape and form and we have to own that."
Indeed, Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo had a quiet night by his standards, scoring 19 points on 5-of-13 shooting with six rebounds and five assists. The team as a whole shot 35 of 94 from the floor, including 13 of 50 from 3-point range.
Perhaps the image of Morant and Co. doing the wave will be just the dig the Bucks need to rebound from the loss.