The Detroit Pistons fell to the Milwaukee Bucks on the road, 117-111, on Thursday, Oct. 9, and dropped to 1-1 in the preseason.
The Pistons were without Jalen Duren, who missed his second straight game with hamstring tightness, and Jaden Ivey and Tobias Harris because of rest. J.B. Bickerstaff went with a starting lineup of Cade Cunningham, Ausar Thompson, Ron Holland, Duncan Robinson and Isaiah Stewart.
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Giannis Antetokounmpo missed the game for the Bucks because of illness.
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Cunningham erupted for 26 points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals on 8-for-14 field-goal shooting and 8-for-8 from the line. Thompson also reached double figures with 11 points, five rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block. Paul Reed tallied nine points and six rebounds.
Ivey rests after quiet debut on Monday
Nine months separated Ivey’s last regular season game on Jan. 1, and his preseason debut Monday. It was an understated return, as he finished with seven points, an assist and three turnovers in 14 minutes of action. He had a nice play shortly before halftime, completing a 3-point play to cap a 42-11 Pistons run, but also was noticeably rusty after a long layoff.
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It’s unclear if there’s more behind Ivey’s absence Thursday beyond “rest.” His next opportunity to play will be Tuesday, when the Pistons travel to play the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) gestures to teammate against Milwaukee Bucks forward Amir Coffey (17) in the second quarter at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025.
Cunningham dominates first half, again
With Antetokounmpo in street clothes, Cunningham was the undisputed best player on the floor for the second time this week. He looked the part by scoring 11 of the Pistons’ first 21 points in the opening period in a variety of ways − a spin move from the right wing into a layup, a stepback 3-pointer and a midrange jumper after losing his defender with a fake pass.
A stepback 3-pointer midway through the second period, followed by a second spin move into a layup shortly before halftime, helped the Pistons take a 72-60 lead by halftime. For the second straight game, Cunningham sat out of the second half. After scoring 20 points against the Grizzlies, he has 46 points on 16-for-25 shooting through two preseason games.
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Cunningham has gotten off to slow starts to the regular season in past years, so it’s a great sign for the Pistons that he already appears to be in midseason form.
Pistons debut “9-to-5” starting lineup
The Holland-Thompson duo − nicknamed “9-to-5” as a reference to their jersey numbers − made its debut at the start of the second quarter Monday against the Memphis Grizzlies. J.B. Bickerstaff has said throughout training camp that he wants to pair the two athletic wings together frequently this season, and was impressed by their play together Monday.
On Thursday, he got an extended look at the unit.
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With Ivey out, Thompson got extended reps as the primary ballhandler with mixed results. There were good possessions, such as his coast-to-coast layup late in the first quarter after beating a full court press from Bucks guard and Metro Detroit native Ryan Rollins, and finishing a layup through contact from Jericho Sims. There also were possessions that stalled, either because he couldn’t generate space or locate a teammate coming off of a second action.
Holland opened the game with a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer and has knocked down 3-pointers in consecutive games. He, Thompson and Stewart set the tone defensively as the Pistons forced six turnovers in the first quarter.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons score: Cunningham shines in 117-111 preseason loss