Matta gets interview at Georgia

Georgia officials interviewed former Ohio State coach Thad Matta on Monday, launching their coach search only two days after the school fired Mark Fox.

Greg Matta, Thad Matta’s brother who coaches 90 minutes away at North Cobb Christian School in Kennesaw, Georgia, said Thad’s visit to Athens was a poorly kept secret. “I had people in school tell me ‘Your brother is in Athens,’” Greg Matta said.

Greg Matta said that his younger brother told him before the interview “what an exciting place” Georgia is as a possible next coaching job.

Another possible candidate to replace Fox is former Indiana and Marquette coach Tom Crean.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Khris Middleton scored 24 points, Giannis Antetokounmpo added 20 and the Milwaukee Bucks sent the Memphis Grizzlies to their 18th consecutive loss with a 121-103 victory on Monday night.

Brandon Jennings, signed to a 10-day contract by Milwaukee on Saturday, finished two rebounds short of a triple-double with 16 points and 12 assists. Eric Bledsoe added 14 points, including a trio of baskets to stem a fourth-quarter Memphis rally.

Marc Gasol led the Grizzlies with 17 points, while Jarell Martin, Dillon Brooks and Ben McLemore scored 16 apiece.

Memphis, which trailed by as many as 19 in the third quarter, used its bench to push back into the game in the fourth. The reserves crafted a 14-3 run to pull within 97-91 with 6:34 left.

Bledsoe scored six of the Bucks’ next eight points, then added an assist to Antetokounmpo, running the lead back to 12 with 4:09 left. That was enough of a buffer for the Bucks to claim their second straight win. James Harden scored 16 of his 28 points in the third quarter to allow Houston to build a huge lead and sail to a home victory over San Antonio. The NBA’s leading scorer took a little while to get going a night after sitting out against Dallas with a sore left knee and had just 12 points at halftime.