Ziaire Williams and rookie GG Jackson scored 27 points apiece as the short-handed Memphis Grizzlies withstood a late rally by the visiting Milwaukee Bucks in a 113-110 win on Thursday.
Memphis held on for the victory after Damian Lillard missed a 3-point attempt at the buzzer. The Grizzlies won their second game in a row following a nine-game skid.
Williams set a career high with his point total, while Jackson matched his career high.
Vince Williams Jr. scored 18 points for Memphis, while Lamar Stevens added 13, Jordan Goodwin had 11 and Trey Jemison chipped in 10.
Memphis had 10 players out due to injuries, including Jaren Jackson Jr. (right quadriceps soreness), Derrick Rose (right ankle soreness), Scotty Pippen Jr. (lower back soreness), Luke Kennard (left knee soreness), Desmond Bane (sprained left ankle) and Ja Morant (right shoulder surgery).
Milwaukee trailed by nine at the end of the third quarter before charging back to take a 102-101 lead with 3:29 remaining. Memphis answered with a 12-2 run and moved ahead 113-104 with 49.8 seconds left when Williams made two foul shots.
After Malik Beasley hit consecutive 3-pointers to pull Milwaukee within 113-110 with 29.6 seconds to play, Memphis escaped with the victory despite competing with nine available players on the second night of a back-to-back.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee with 35 points and 12 assists. Lillard scored 24 points, Bobby Portis Jr. added 15, and Brook Lopez had 14 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks.
Milwaukee shot 11 of 44 (25 percent) from 3-point range and fell to 3-7 under new coach Doc Rivers.
GG Jackson hit a 3-pointer to close the first quarter and give Memphis a 29-26 lead. Milwaukee was 5 of 16 (31.2 percent) from 3-point range in the period.
GG Jackson made four first-half 3-pointers and had 19 points at the break, when the teams were tied 57-57. Antetokounmpo and Lillard had 13 points apiece to lead the Bucks.
Memphis moved ahead 80-71 after making 10 of its first 11 field-goal attempts to open the third quarter.
Williams had 17 points in the third quarter for the Grizzlies, who led 94-85 after shooting 76.2 percent from the field for the period.
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The New York Knicks will have a captain take the floor next season ... also Jalen Brunson's still on the team. The French men's national basketball team announced on Friday that New York newcomer Guerschon Yabusele will serve as captain as the squad goes into battle at the upcoming EuroBasket competition. Yabusele is currently training with Les Bleus, who are seeking their second tournament title and first since 2013. "I can't say I expected it, but it's nice to be captain, even if it doesn't change my status in the team," Yabusele said in an interview on the French squad's official site (translation via Google). "You'll have to be an example, be good and fair on and off the [court], guide everyone on the right path, and, even if things aren't going well for me personally, always maintain a positive attitude for the team ... I'm aware that it's a big responsibility, especially with a new group embarking on a new adventure." Yabusele, 29, follows in the footsteps of longtime NBA veterans Nicolas Batum and Boris Diaw, both of whom helped guide him to the captaincy. Prior to returning to the NBA last season after a five-year absence, Yabusele turned himself into an accomplished star on the international circuit, earning championships and All-Star invites in China, Spain and his native France. Yabusele's time with Les Bleus has produced back-to-back silver medals at the Olympics (the first case of consecutive podium showings for the French) and he was also on the runner-group at the last EuroBasket tournament, which saw the French fall to Spain in the final. France previously took home the 2013 edition with Batum, Diaw and Tony Parker leading the way. This time around, France will compete in Group D play in Poland, facing off against "Biało-czerwoni" as well as Belgium, Iceland, Isreal, and Slovenia. Preliminary play gets underway on Aug. 28 when Les Bleus face the Belgian Lions in Katowice. The newly-minted "capitaine" Yabusele will make his Knicks debut later this fall after signing a two-year deal with the team earlier this offseason. Joining the former Boston Celtics/Philadelphia 76er on the EuroBasket journey is former Knick Frank Ntilikina as well as Alex Sarr, the second overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft currently stationed in Washington.
In the absence of progress at the negotiating table, Terry McLaurin went public with a trade request on Thursday. The chances of the Commanders dealing him away have long been viewed as low, and that remains the case at this point. A number of teams inquired with Washington about McLaurin prior to the news of his trade request. As Nicki Jhabvala and Dianna Russini of The Athletic report, though, the Commanders informed suitors they have no plans of moving on from the two-time Pro Bowler. The sides remain at an impasse regarding extension talks, so interest on the trade front will no doubt continue until and unless an agreement is reached. Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated notes a number of issues (including overall value and guarantees) are yet to be resolved in McLaurin’s case. That differs from, for instance, the case of Trey Hendrickson and the Bengals. The AAV of a new Cincinnati agreement appears to have been hammered out, but the sides are at an impasse with respect to guaranteeing more than the first year of any new pact. It remains to be seen general manager Adam Peters and the Commanders will be willing to reach or surpass $30M per year on a long-term contract. While remarking on the situation, one general manager told Russini they liken this case to that of Haason Reddick from last year. Reddick engaged in lengthy holdout with the Jets while seeking an extension following his trade from the Eagles. In the end, a short-term compromise was made but Reddick’s debut was delayed until Week 8 and he departed in free agency after an underwhelming campaign. Any similar absence through the regular season — something which, to be clear, McLaurin has not yet threatened — would of course be highly detrimental to a Commanders team aiming to duplicate last year’s run to the NFC title game. During a Friday appearance on the "Rich Eisen Show" (video link), NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero said a trade cannot completely be ruled out at this point. The Patriots are known to be a potential suitor in the event Peters’ approach changes and consideration is given to a swap. Such a move would leave Washington with trade acquisition (and pending 2026 free agent) Deebo Samuel atop the WR depth chart. However, the Commanders have a star quarterback on a rookie contract, opening up a clear competitive window for them to build around Jayden Daniels before he commands a market-level salary. That would seem to include investing in a perennial thousand-yard threat like McLaurin — who already has an impressive rapport with his young QB. Coming to an agreement with the soon-to-be 30-year-old feels like an inevitability, whether it be before Week 1 or partway into the regular season.
Since being selected 12th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Penn State, Micah Parsons has emerged as one of the league’s premier talents and the focal point of the Dallas Cowboys defense. Despite this, he has yet to secure a new contract. With the Cowboys having exercised his fifth-year option, guaranteeing a $24 million payday for next season, per Spotrac, Parsons now seeks a long-term extension that would set a new benchmark for non-quarterbacks in the NFL. The two-time All-Pro edge rusher has reported for camp but refrained from participating in on-field drills amid an increasingly bitter contract standoff. On Friday, a new twist surfaced as NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero revealed that conversations about trading Pro Bowl edge rusher Micah Parsons date back to the 2024 season. This came amid news that Parsons has officially requested a trade out of Dallas, posting on X that he "no longer wants to be here." Micah Parsons Career Accolades and NFL Milestones Parsons burst onto the national stage at Penn State, where he was named a Freshman All-American in 2018 after leading the Nittany Lions with 82 tackles and forcing two fumbles. As a sophomore in 2019, he earned consensus All-American honors, was voted the Big Ten Linebacker of the Year and claimed Cotton Bowl Defensive MVP honors with 14 tackles, two sacks and two forced fumbles in a single game. Opting out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns, he maintained his status as a top NFL prospect and was promptly drafted by Dallas in April 2021. Since then, he has racked up: NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year (2021) First-team All-Pro (2021, 2022); Second-team All-Pro (2023) Four-time Pro Bowl selection (2021-2024) Butkus Award (Pro) winner (2021) PFWA All-Rookie Team (2021) Last season, Parsons joined NFL Hall of Famer Reggie White as the only players in league history with at least 12 sacks in each of their first four seasons. The Contract Impasse: From “One Last Time” to Trade Request Despite being considered a generational talent, Parsons and the Cowboys have been deadlocked on a long-term extension through the entire offseason. On Thursday, Parsons posted a "one last time" GIF under a photo of himself with cornerback Trevon Diggs. This was followed up with a formal trade request on Friday, citing frustration over "closed-door negotiations without my agent present" and "narratives created and spread to the media about me." The crux of the dispute reportedly stems from a spring meeting between Parsons and owner Jerry Jones, in which Jones believed he had reached a handshake agreement on revised terms. When Parsons insisted that all further dialogue move through his agent, David Mulugheta, the Cowboys reportedly refused to engage, resulting in stalled talks and widening mistrust. Dallas has yet to conduct a single negotiation with Mulugheta, and Jones has publicly downplayed Parsons’s leverage by citing his four missed games last season, despite Parsons compiling 12 sacks in 13 appearances. The timing of Parsons’s request comes amid a record offseason for elite edge rushers, as Myles Garrett (four-year, $160 million), Maxx Crosby (three-year, $106.5 million) and T.J. Watt (three-year, $123 million extension) have all secured new deals.
There's no way of sugarcoating the Washington Commanders' contract standoff with Terry McLaurin. It is, in a word, unfortunate. Coming off of their best season in more than 30 years, the fan-favorite wide receiver is unhappy with contract negotiations and has now officially requested a trade. It's been a stunning, disheartening development that has derailed a significant chunk of the positive energy in D.C. this offseason. If it's any solace, there is one thing Washington can do — always. That, of course, is laughing at the Dallas Cowboys for managing to screw things up even worse with one of their superstars. Micah Parsons' drama makes Commanders' Terry McLaurin saga look like standard business Leave it to Jerry Jones to come through in the clutch by alienating one of his best players right as Washington's dysfunction had taken center stage. That's what has happened with Micah Parsons, who officially let it be known that he no longer wants to be in Dallas. This does not read as a negotiating tactic, the way McLaurin's situation can still be interpreted as. It doesn't read as if there's any chance Parsons' relationship with the Cowboys can still be repaired. It reads as "This is personal, and I'm out." There's also much less of a leg to stand on here from Dallas' standpoint. With McLaurin, at least the Commanders' front office can contend that he's a month away from being on the wrong side of 30 years old and is asking for more money than he may be worth a few years from now. Parsons, on the other hand, is only seeking his second NFL contract. In theory, it should take him through the peak of his career. The former Penn State standout, who is already a two-time All-Pro in only four seasons, should be getting the type of deal that's richer than any player at his position before him. Most teams in the NFL would have no problems ponying up the cash, but not the Cowboys. Jones has made a history of stringing players along when it comes to contract talks. CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott were the most recent examples last summer. That may work with some players, but Parsons is having none of it. The funniest outcome that could come from this, of course, is that Parsons ends up in Washington. It's doubtful that either team would trade their disgruntled star within the division, but if it reaches the point of no return with McLaurin, Adam Peters has a solid head start on a package for him. It's also worth noting that the 2021 first-round pick still maintains a close relationship with Commanders head coach Dan Quinn, his former defensive coordinator. Regardless, this was the best news any Commanders fan could have hoped for. Not only does the rest of the NFL move on from talking about McLaurin, but it comes at the expense of Washington's biggest rival. More Commanders news and analysis
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