Giannis Antetokounmpo’s scoring explosion in the fourth quarter was insufficient to keep the Milwaukee Bucks alive on Thursday night.

Damian Lillard kicked off the scoring for Milwaukee with a 3-pointer, but Memphis’ Santi Aldama responded with a triple on the other end. The Bucks parlayed together some inside scores to create an eight point advantage, but the Grizzlies ended the quarter on a 14-3 scoring run to hold a 29-26 lead after one.

The Grizzlies carried their offensive momentum into the second quarter, but the Bucks were quick to get back into the mix. Giannis Antetokounmpo began to will the Bucks ahead with inside scores and several assists to Bobby Portis. Even so, the Grizzlies kept the pace. Memphis guard Jordan Goodwin tipped in a shot in the closing seconds to tie the score at 57 at halftime.

The Grizzlies shot the hell out of the basketball out of the break, making 10 of their first 11 shots from the field. Ziaire Williams and Trey Jemison commanded the Memphis offense, taking whatever they wanted from all over the court.

In response, Giannis began playing hero-ball, driving and scoring with ease to keep Milwaukee afloat. Portis nailed a deep ball in the closing seconds, but the Grizzlies still led by nine points at the end of three.

The Bucks started chipping away at the Grizzlies’ lead into the fourth. In a low-scoring period, Milwaukee finally regained the lead with just over four minutes remaining, but their exhale would be short-lived. GG Jackson buried a three from the corner, and Williams extended the lead for Memphis.

In the closing minute, Malik Beasley buried back-to-back shots from deep to cut the Grizzlies’ lead down to just three. The Bucks forced a clutch turnover, but Damian Lillard was unable to convert a last-second shot. Grizzlies win, 113-110.

It was that kind of night for the Milwaukee Bucks, who lost 113-110 to the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday night at FedExForum.

The Bucks had layups and three-pointers not go down while the short-handed Grizzlies had shots beat the shot-clock buzzer and got career nights from GG Jackson II (27 points) and Ziaire Williams (27 points) as they hustled and scrapped their way to an upset victory over the Eastern Conference contenders on national TV.

“I think when you do all of the little things and you do the right things you get rewarded for it,” Lillard said.

“A lot of coaches that I’ve played for say when you’re the more aggressive team, referees reward that and the game rewards playing hard and 50-50 balls and getting those extra bounces.

“I thought tonight we did it in stretches but they’re a young team, they don’t have nothing to lose, a lot of guys playing for their careers on the line with this opportunity and we gave ’em life and they scratched and clawed and got those bounces over us.”

Seemingly on the verge of putting together a win streak earlier in the week, the Bucks backed into the break with consecutive losses to Miami and Memphis teams bereft of star power but overflowing with want-to.

“They competed harder than us today, they competed harder than us two days ago,” Antetokounmpo said.

“We are not on track of what we are trying to do. I feel like the team feels it. The team feels it. I feel it.

“And I have now seven days that I have to try to take care of my body, try to rest from this mentally draining season from all the changes and all the things that are going on. Just try to relax a little bit as much as I can, try to take care of my body, try to come back and try to go.”