The Milwaukee Bucks lost to the Detroit Pistons, 112-124, as both teams played on the second night of a back-to-back. Unfortunately, the Bucks were unable to replicate the stunning performance that upset the Pistons on Wednesday; they suffered their third loss in four games (and the 10th in 12 games). The season series now sits at 2-1, Detroit’s way. Read our full summary of the game here and catch a six-minute audio recap on the Bucks+ podcast, Bucks In Six Minutes, below.
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Player GradesKevin Porter Jr.
36 minutes, 32 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 11/16 FG, 7/9 3P, –30
KPJ was spectacular last night. I can’t begin to describe how hard it seemed for him to have to do so much creating—especially with Rollins in foul trouble in the first half—and still post that stat line on that efficiency. Oh, and he was also guarded by Ausar Thompson all night. No biggie.
Grade: A+
Myles Turner
25 minutes, 12 points, 4/8 FG, 3/7 3P, -22
Myles had 12 points within the first six minutes, and then… never really got involved again? I know that may be circumstantial, but it feels like he should have been prioritised more than he seemingly was.
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Grade: C+
Ryan Rollins
23 minutes, 10 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 turnovers, 4/14 FG, 1/7 3P, -9
It was an off night from the start for Rollins, only playing 7:48 in the first half as he dealt with foul trouble. From there, he never really found a rhythm.
Grade: C-
Kyle Kuzma
28 minutes, 15 points, 4 rebounds, 3 turnovers, 5/12 FG, 1/2 3P,-11
Kuz started well, but tailed off as the night progressed. I don’t necessarily think he played poorly, though. His defence was solid, and he made some nice passes that weren’t converted.
Grade: C
Gary Harris
13 minutes, 2 points, 1/2 FG, -8
Some good defence from Gary; thought he was solid in his minutes.
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Grade: C+
Andre Jackson Jr.
11 minutes, 4 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1/1 FG, +9
AJax gave the team a boost in his minutes with his ability to pick up Cunningham full-court. Also, Andre had one heck of an alley-oop in the closing minutes.
Grade: B
Gary Trent Jr.
28 minutes, 11 points, 4/11 FG, 1/5 3P, -19
Gary missed some makeable shots. His stat line looks worse than he played.
Grade: C+
Bobby Portis
20 minutes, 7 points, 4 assists, 7 rebounds, 2/11 FG, 1/3 3P, -4
Bobby was just off all night after playing really well the night before against Philly. What I will say is that I can’t stand when he gets lippy with fans, the refs, and opposing players while the team is struggling; play the game.
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Grade: C-
Jericho Sims
30 minutes, 2 points, 3 rebounds, 1/1 FG, –21
Jericho’s one-on-one defence was excellent. Doc is clearly willing to switch him onto just about anyone; he asked Sims to guard Paul George, and now Cade Cunningham.
Grade: B+
Doc Rivers
I don’t understand why Doc didn’t look to get Turner more involved after his hot start, but that’s honestly a season-long trend at this point. Other than that, a much more talented team beat the Bucks, and I’m not sure how much a coach could have altered the outcome. Yes, Milwaukee beat this team a few days back, but on average, they aren’t fighting in the same weight division.
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Grade: C
Garbage time: Cole Anthony, Pete Nance, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Amir Coffey
Inactive: Taurean Prince, Alex Antetokounmpo, Mark Sears, Giannis Antetokounmpo, AJ Green
Bonus Bucks Bits
Doc said KPJ is “the one guy who can get his own shot whenever he wants,” but that he commends him for “doing it the right way.”
Doc said he thinks Ryan Rollins has been forcing it too much of late, but that he wants to “keep him free” and not “clog his brain,” so he’s living with some of the mistakes.
Unlike their usual style, the Bucks actually did well forcing turnovers and generating points off them, scoring 25 points off turnovers in this game.
Detroit grabbed 16 O boards to Milwaukee’s 11.
Up Next
The Bucks now get a huge four-day break and will be back at home on Thursday night against Boston. Catch the game at 7:00 p.m. Central on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin.