Jennings scores 26 points, Bucks beat Grizzlies 103-98 for 3rd straight victory

Bucks win 3rd straight behind Jennings’ 26 points

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Rookie Brandon Jennings scored 24 of his 26 points in the second half, and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Memphis Grizzlies 103-98 on Saturday night for their third straight victory.

Charlie Bell added 19 for Milwaukee, which has won seven of its last eight. Ersan Ilyasova finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds, and reserve Luke Ridnour contributed 13 points and 12 assists.

Rudy Gay had 24 points and 10 rebounds, but Memphis had its three-game winning streak snapped. Zach Randolph scored 18 points, O.J. Mayo had 15, and Marc Gasol finished with 14 points and 14 rebounds.

The Bucks improved to 8-3, their best start since going 9-1 in 2001-02, despite playing without starting center Andrew Bogut (left leg strain) and guard Michael Redd (left knee).

Jennings started showing his talents after halftime, scoring 12 in the third on 6 of 11 shooting. The Bucks also negated the Grizzlies’ inside players by going small, outscoring Memphis 31-22 in the period.

The Grizzlies used 12 points from Randolph and 11 more from Gay to carry a 50-45 lead into halftime. Bell led the Bucks with 11. Milwaukee trailed by 11 with just over 2 minutes left in the half, but the Bucks closed with an 8-2 rally.

Memphis shot well in the first quarter, reaching 71 percent at one point, helping the Grizzlies build the early lead to 12. Gasol, who is among the league leaders in field goal percentage, hit all four shots in the period, and Randolph only missed one of his five.

But the Grizzlies couldn’t build the lead any further because of turnover problems, committing a half-dozen miscues in the quarter. They committed 16 on the night.

Jennings managed only three shots in the first half, missing all of them and recorded only two points.

Carlos Delfino’s 3-pointer from the right corner, his only field goal of the night, evened the score at 53. A three-point play by Ilyasova less than a minute later gave the Bucks their first lead of the game, and Milwaukee carried a 76-72 advantage into the final period.

NOTES: Dan Gadzuric started at center for Bogut. Jennings leads NBA rookies in scoring and assists. Bucks F Hakim Warrick, who played his first four seasons in Memphis, received a warm ovation from the Grizzlies fans when he entered the game in the first quarter. Milwaukee was playing its first road game after going 5-1 on a homestand.