The Detroit Pistons are back in the loss column after falling to the Milwaukee Bucks 113-109 on Wednesday night inside the Fiserv Forum.
Hours before the game, Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo was the subject of a report from ESPN insider Shams Charania that mentioned he would be discussing his future soon with his agent and whether he would want to stay with Milwaukee. He followed that up by straining his calf, limiting him to just three minutes of action, where he scored just two points.
Despite not having Antetokounmpo, the Bucks were battling all night long against the Pistons. Detroit held a lead as large as 18 points, but Milwaukee continued to chip away. The Pistons led by seven points going into the fourth quarter, but the Bucks found a way to pull out a win.
Detroit Pistons forward Isaiah Stewart drives to the basket against Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis. | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images
Pistons collapse in fourth quarter vs. Bucks
Tobias Harris was Detroit’s leading scorer with 20 points on the night. Cade Cunningham added 17 of his own, while Jaden Ivey had 15. Ausar Thompson joined them in double figures with 10 points.
For the Bucks, Kevin Porter Jr. was the game’s leading scorer, dropping 26 points in the win. Ryan Rollins was right behind him with 22 points and AJ Green scored 19 with five 3-pointers.
Bobby Portis and Jericho Sims joined the Bucks guards in double-digit scoring, with the latter achieving a double-double of 15 points and 14 rebounds.
For the Pistons, it’s another tough loss, marking their third in the last five games after a 13-game win streak. The Pistons have hit a bit of a lull and they are losing games that they should be winning.
The Pistons are in a bit of a struggle, but that’s to be expected even for the best of teams. The loss tonight gives the Pistons a chance to re-evaluate things and prevent some mistakes that could pop up again in the future.
For Cunningham in particular, it was a difficult game, but the All-Star guard should have a chance to bounce back. There should be a long look at the film from the game so that the Pistons can learn from their errors.
The Pistons won’t have a lot of time to adjust as they have to host the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night inside Little Caesars Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET. Fans can watch the game on FanDuel Sports network or stream it on NBA League Pass.