Jennings (who?) stars
Brandon Jennings nearly has triple-double in his return as Bucks beat Grizzlies.
MEMPHIS - The first time Brandon Jennings took the court for the Milwaukee Bucks, he was a 20-year-old rookie coming off a year playing professionally in Italy instead of going to college. And in that game on Oct. 30, 2010, Jennings nearly recorded a triple-double with 17 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.
Fast forward to Monday night at FedExForum, where Jennings made his 2017-’18 season debut and played his first game in a Bucks uniform since 2013.
In the first game of his second stint with the Bucks, Jennings reprised his rookie debut, again flirting with a triple-double to help the Bucks to a 121103 victory that dealt the Memphis Grizzlies their 18th consecutive loss. Jennings, who logged 24 minutes off the bench, finished the night with 16 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds.
“I was nervous,” Jennings said. “I
felt like it was my first rookie game again. Just putting on that jersey was a blessing and I was just very grateful. ...
“It’s just all the hard work I was putting in in China. People don’t understand I was still hurt with my (torn left) Achilles injury (from 2015), so now I’m finally healthy and I was able to really just revamp my whole self.”
Jennings had joined the Bucks on Sunday morning by signing a 10-day contract with the team. He started the season playing in China before joining the Bucks’ G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd, in February.
It didn’t take long for Jennings to heat up. He made his first appearance with 3 minutes 3 seconds left in the first quarter and racked up two rebounds and a pair of assists before the end of the period. Then, still in the lineup to start the second, he scored Milwaukee’s first five points with a finger roll in the lane and curl through the lane and into the corner for a three-pointer.
That was the start of an 11-point second quarter for Jennings, who closed the half with an assist to John Henson that gave Jennings 11 points, nine assists and six rebounds at intermission.
“I think just seeing that ball go in for the first time on an NBA floor just built a lot of my confidence,” Jennings said.
Jennings got extra minutes in the third quarter and early in the fourth as starting point guard Eric Bledsoe went to the bench with four fouls. Given the extra opportunity, Jennings helped guide the Bucks to a 17-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.
“I wasn’t expecting to do the numbers, I just thought I was going to play 10, 12 minutes,” Jennings said. “I was real tired. I kept telling Bled, ‘Don’t foul, stop fouling. I’m tired.’ My nerves were running and everything like that but it was good.”
During that fourth quarter, though, turnovers made the game a lot more interesting. The Bucks committed six of their 19 turnovers in the first five minutes of the period. The Grizzlies made the most of those giveaways, scoring 30 total points off Bucks turnovers, and used those extra fourth-quarter possessions to cut the margin to single digits.
It got as close as six points when Bledsoe, who returned for Jennings with 8 minutes 44 seconds remaining, quieted the run with a pair of bursts to the rim for layups. The margin never got below double digits again.
Khris Middleton finished with a team-high 24 points while Giannis Antetokounmpo, who also dealt with foul trouble and got off to a slow start, ended with 20 points in 28 minutes.
While the team played well collectively, it was Jennings who was the star of the night. It was the culmination of the comeback that began in 2015 when he tore his left Achilles while with the Detroit Pistons, although as exciting as the moment was, Jennings is already looking ahead to his next opportunity to keep the momentum going.
“One thing about being on a 10-day contract is you’ve got to have a sense of urgency,” Jennings said. “I’ve got 10 days to prove myself and I’m going to use every opportunity, every game for that. I’m just going to give my all every night.” UP NEXT
Teams: Milwaukee Bucks (36-31) at Orlando Magic (20-47).
When: 6 p.m. Wednesday.
Where: Amway Center.
About the Magic: Orlando’s seasonlong struggles have continued since the all-star break, with the Magic going 2-8 since the showcase. That includes a four-game losing streak heading into their game Tuesday night in San Antonio to close out a five-game road trip. The status of Orlando’s top two scorers remains in doubt for Wednesday. Evan Fournier has missed the past two games with sprained left MCL, and Aaron Gordon has been sidelined the past two games while in the concussion protocol.