Grizzlies' Pippen calls out Bucks coach after stifling Lillard
Scotty Pippen Jr. was playing with a little extra motivation as he shut down Damian Lillard in the Memphis Grizzlies' dominant 122-99 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.
"I definitely took that matchup personally," Pippen told reporters postgame Thursday, courtesy of Grind City Media. "I grew up watching Dame a lot. And also, one of the coaches over there didn't believe in me. So I definitely wanted to show that I can play some defense."
While Pippen didn't mention the name of the Bucks coach, he played for Darvin Ham - an assistant on Doc Rivers' staff - during his rookie campaign with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Pippen made just six appearances for the Lakers as he spent a majority of the previous two seasons with their G League affiliate.
Memphis signed the 6-foot-1 guard to a two-way contract last January and then converted him to a standard four-year deal prior to the regular season.
Pippen has carved out a role during his brief Grizzlies tenure, averaging 12.3 points, 5.2 assists, 3.2 boards, and 1.7 steals across 26 appearances.
As the primary defender for Lillard, he held the All-Star guard scoreless on 0-of-3 shooting, per NBA.com.