Giannis with 32 points, 15 assists; Cade scores 36
The Detroit Pistons played hard for 48 minutes, but Giannis Antetokounmpo proved too talented and the Milwaukee Bucks ’ execution was superior as Pistons fell 125-119. The loss means the Pistons are guaranteed the sixth seed and a playoff matchup with the New York Knicks . With the win, the Bucks will retain the fifth seed.
Giannis was a monster all game, notching his 11th triple-double with 32 points, 15 assists and 11 rebounds for the Bucks. Cade Cunningham was also locked in, scoring at ease inside and hitting his perimeter shots. He finished with 36 points and 12 assists on 15-of-21 shooting.
Detroit’s problems stemmed from their aggressive play not always paying off. They were aggressively trapping, doubling, and helping all night. Anything they could do to slow down Giannis or, optimally, get the ball out of his hands. But Giannis was adept at creating contact, and kicking out to open shooters. The Bucks feasted from deep, hitting 17 3-pointers, many of them wide-open corner threes after kicking the ball around as Detroit’s defense struggled to recover.
Having a free-throw generator like Giannis always helps, too, of course. Antetokounmpo hit 10 of his 11 free throws and the Bucks shot 27 as a team. The Pistons, meanwhile shot just 18, only only hit 50% of the free shots they were able to generate.
The Pistons sorely missed Isaiah Stewart, who was held out to rest a sore right knee. Without their top interior defender, they struggled to slow down both Giannis and Brook Lopez inside. Whenever Paul Reed subbed in for Jalen Duren not only did the size and defense take a hit in the paint, but the rebounding became a sore spot. The Pistons struggled all night dealing with Milwaukee’s length and size as they couldn’t secure rebounds on either ends of the floor when the game was at it most competitive.
It’s a shame because Cunningham was in top form. He was easily knifing through Milwaukee’s defense and finishing with deft touch inside. He was completely in his zone and has rarely looked more comfortable on offense this season.
Some other bright spots for the Pistons included Malik Beasley finally seeing some three-pointers go down. Beasley has been struggling from deep lately as defenses give him outsized attention. Tonight, he hit 7-of-15 from deep, accounting for all 21 of his points. Duren added 11 and 16 with five assists, and Tobias Harris had 17 points.