Milwaukee Bucks Defeat Memphis Grizzlies, Matt Barnes Scuffles With John Henson

Milwaukee Bucks center John Henson and Memphis Grizzlies forward Matt Barnes got into a bit of a scuffle when the two teams met on Monday night, according to ESPN. While the incident instantly became a social media trend, there were plenty of interesting things that took place during the game. The entire Bucks starting lineup was benched in the fourth quarter, and backup point guard Tyler Ennis became the star and secured the win for Milwaukee.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQ_1RBX5Cas

Emotions were running high for John Henson. Late in the fourth quarter, Henson got into an altercation with Lance Stephenson when the latter pulled down a rebound. Referees reviewed the incident and declared that Henson was in the wrong. John was charged with a flagrant one foul and a technical. The incident angered the Memphis Grizzlies, so animosity was in the air, and it was getting thicker by the moment.

Matt Barnes is one of the most outspoken members of the Memphis Grizzlies, one of the feistiest teams in the NBA. He was really upset with John Henson for what he had done to Lance Stephenson. When Barnes was going up for a shot, Henson swooped in and blocked the shot. Afterwards, Henson threw out an intimidating swing that would make a WWE star proud. Henson got thrown out of the game by the referees, so Barnes scurried off the court to follow him to the locker room.

Milwaukee Bucks head coach Jason Kidd didn’t like the energy level that his starters were showing on the court against the Memphis Grizzlies. Jerryd Bayless, Khris Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jabari Parker, and Greg Monroe all watched the game from the bench during the entire fourth quarter. With the Bucks unlikely to catch up in time to make the NBA Playoffs this season, Kidd felt that it was a good time to send a message to his starters that he won’t tolerate any lack of effort.

None of the Milwaukee Bucks starters played more than 30 minutes, but Giannis Antetokounmpo was the one that was hurt the most by the benching. He’s been the talk of the NBA since Jason Kidd moved him to the point guard position. Antetokounmpo has received a lot of attention from the media because he has grown to become a triple double threat. Against the Memphis Grizzlies, Giannis had 15 points, 11 assists and six rebounds.

Greg Monroe is another person that was hurt by the benching. The 6’11”, 260-pound center had been benched earlier in the season by Jason Kidd. Monroe doesn’t put up a ton of effort on defense, so Kidd takes away minutes from him. Monroe has just earned his starting position back from Miles Plumlee, so putting on good performances is a must. Despite the limited minutes, Monroe still had 14 points and 10 rebounds, so he definitely could have done better if he were playing in the fourth quarter.

The Memphis Grizzlies probably would have won the game if not for injuries. Mike Conley is out for the season and might have played his final game in a Grizzlies jersey. Vince Carter has been sidelined with a calf injury. Zach Randolph has issues with his knee, so he wasn’t available against the Milwaukee Bucks. Marc Gasol was already out for the season. His backup, acquired from the Miami Heat in a trade last month, wasn’t available because of a shoulder injury.

The sports world is going to keep talking about the Matt Barnes and John Henson scuffle. The regular world might be talking about it as well, because there’s a good chance that the intimidating pose becomes a meme that goes viral. Most will probably forget that the Milwaukee Bucks won an NBA game over the Memphis Grizzlies.

[Photo by Tom Lynn/Getty Images]