Skiles

On tonight’s game…
“We didn’t come ready to play. It’s that simple. We were lethargic. Our defense was poor. We’re trying to search for lineups anywhere we can find energy. They had the most energy and they deserved to win.”
                       
On Coach Lionel Hollins …
“Hollins has been doing a good job. They’ve won five out of six. They have great young talent. They have a very good point guard. (O.J) Mayo, (Rudy) Gay, are great wing players. (Marc) Gasol is tough inside. Hakim Warrick is very tough off the bench. It’s a very good young team. He’s doing a good job there.”

On the Bucks’ recent play …
“We were 29-31 so we’ve been a little perplexed to as what exactly happened when we were in that potential. If my math is correct we’re 3-15 since then. We’ve had too many games like this where we haven’t had the intensity and professionalism we need.”

Bell

On tonight’s game…
“We just came out and laid an egg in the fist half. We had no life. No energy. They came out and pretty much did what they wanted to do. They pretty much run the same offense as us with Coach Hollins. They made it look easy and we made it look hard.”
                       
On the Bucks’ recent play …
“The beginning of March we were right there in the eighth spot. We had a nice feeling. We thought we could make a run. March just fell apart on the defensive end. I think defensively we weren’t playing as hard. Offensively we just hit a rut. For a second our offense was really going, since then it’s been sputtering. We’ve got to do a better job finishing out these games and get some wins.”

Jefferson

On tonight’s game…
“If you put that type of pressure on that type of team for most of the game you’re going to have a good result. We waited till we were down twenty and now you have no room for error. That’s just something that this late in the season you have to know these things.”
                       
On scoring his 10,000th point …
“I wish it came in a win. Unfortunately we’re just not playing good basketball, including myself. Regardless of how many points you score you’ve got to do other things to help your team. We came off to a good start, and then just laid an egg in the second quarter.”

• The Grizzlies evened the season series at one game a piece after losing the previous match-up on 11/14 in overtime, 101-96. Memphis had lost the previous five contests against the Bucks and trail the all-time series 15-11. The Grizzlies earned their first win at the Bradley Center since 4/1/05.
• The Grizzlies scored a season-high 38 second quarter points, eclipsing their previous high of 36 set against the Pacers on 12/26. The Grizzlies 38 second quarter points matched the Bucks first half total. The Grizzlies outscored the Bucks by 20 points in the second quarter, 38-18, including a 22-8 run to start the period.
• Rudy Gay scored 20 or more points for a fourth consecutive game and the 38th time this season, finishing with 26 points. Mike Conley hit a career-high four three-point shots.
• Marc Gasol tied a career-high with 11 free throws on a career-high 14 attempts. All nine of his first half points came from the free throw line. Gasol finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds for his 17th double-double of the year.
• Charlie Bell tied a season-high with five three-point shots to go with 23 points and a season-high eight rebounds. Bell scored 20 or more points for the sixth time this season.
• The Grizzlies outrebounded the Bucks 41 to 28, including 27-15 in the first half.
• Richard Jefferson recorded his 10,000th career point, finishing the game with 24. Jefferson is averaging 26.2 points per game in his last five.
• Ramon Sessions continued his strong play over the last two Aprils, recording his sixth consecutive double-double during the month and his eighth straight game with 10 or more assists in April. Mr. April finished with 12 points and 11 assists in tonight’s game, giving him averages of 12.7 points (165) and 11.5 assists (150) in 13 career games in the month. Sessions has registered nine double-doubles this season.
• The Grizzlies improved to 22-54 on the season, matching their win total from last year. Memphis has won five of its last six games including a season-high tying four straight, matching a four-game win streak from 12/8 to 12/14. The Grizzlies are 2-25 when failing to reach 20 points in the first quarter. Memphis is now 18-11 when outshooting its opponent and 9-4 when shooting .500 or better.
• The Bucks used a 16-3 run to cut a 68-48 third quarter deficit down to seven points, 71-64. Milwaukee shot 75% (12-16) in the quarter and outscored Memphis 35-28.
• The Grizzlies improved to 8-30 on the road this season while the Bucks fell to 20-18 at home. The Grizzlies are now 9-19 against the Eastern Conference (3-11 on the road) and 4-6 versus the Central Division. The Bucks fell to 12-17 against the Western Conference (8-6 at home) and 5-5 against the Southwest Division.
• Lionel Hollins returned to Milwaukee for the first time since leaving the Bucks coaching staff on 1/25 to become the head coach of the Grizzlies. Hollins is 11-22 as the head coach in Memphis.