Memphis Grizzlies

Streaking Bucks hit the road to face struggling Grizzlies (Mar 13, 2017)

Published Mar. 12, 2017 8:11 p.m. ET

Milwaukee has won six in a row.

Memphis has lost five in a row.

Fans don't have to look too far to see why each team is on its current streak going into the Bucks-Grizzlies matchup on Monday night in Memphis, Tenn. In a word, it's defense.

In Saturday night's 102-95 win over Minnesota, the Bucks had six defensive stops over the final 2:48 to secure the win.

In Saturday night's 107-90 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, the Grizzlies (36-30) allowed an opponent to reach the century mark for the eighth time in the past nine games. While the Hawks were connecting on 15 of 30 3-pointers, the Grizzlies shot an abysmal 17.2 percent from beyond the arc (5 of 29).

What once was the hallmark for the Grizzlies earlier in the season -- defense -- has now become a liability. And there's plenty of blame to spread.

"We need to get back to trusting each other on the defensive end," said Tony Allen, one of the NBA's top defenders. "If we get some defensive stops, we can let our defense dictate our offense and build from there. Obviously, it's been a rough time for us."

Coach David Fizdale has been tweaking his starting lineup looking for the right combination to get the Grizzlies heading back in the right direction. Mediocrity is not an option, he said.

"I'll continue to shuffle until I find something that works best to give us the best chance to hold the trophy," he said Sunday.

Against the Bucks, the Grizzlies, who are hanging on the seventh spot in the Western Conference, will have their fifth different starting lineup in five games take the floor.

That means Allen will be inserted into the starting lineup. His No. 1 directive is to stop Milwaukee's All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is coming off a relatively quiet night against the Timberwolves.

But while he scored only 18 points, Antetokounmpo played a key role defensively down the stretch with two blocked shot as the Bucks (32-33) held a fifth consecutive opponent below 100 points.

"Down the stretch, we didn't hit any shots; we had some (shot-clock) violations," Bucks coach Jason Kidd told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "But we got stops on the other end. It just shows our maturity and not worrying so much about the offensive end. If things don't go well, we come back and try to get another stop."

Kidd has received high marks for squeezing as much as he can out of the Bucks, who remain in the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference playoff chase.

With Saturday's victory over the Timberwolves, the Bucks are one-half game behind seventh-place Detroit and one game behind sixth-place Indiana in the East.

If the Grizzlies expect to remain in playoff contention, everyone must start playing better, All-Star point guard Mike Conley said.

"We all gotta look in the mirror and see what we can do be better to help the team," Conley said. "We have to lean on our leadership, lean on our vets to get this thing headed in the right direction, and not let go of the rope."

The Bucks defeated the Grizzlies in November. That game was a signal of what was to come for Memphis as the Grizzlies' defense collapsed in the second half, giving up 62 points in a 106-96 loss.

Fizdale employed a zone defense in that game and Antetokounmpo torched Memphis for 27 points.

Monday's game in Memphis is the first of a season-long six-game West Coast road trip for the Grizzlies. And they head out with a ton of confidence after Saturday's victory over the Timberwolves.

"It was a good win for us against a team that's on the rise and trying to make the playoffs as well," first-year Milwaukee point guard Matthew Dellavedova said. "It's good momentum going into this West Coast trip."