The Detroit Pistons competed hard for most of the game. But drop game two of the first-round series with the Milwaukee Bucks 120-99.
Blake Griffin was ruled out shortly before the game due to his nagging left knee injury. He is also expected to miss the remainder of the series to avoid worsening his knee condition. This means that the Detroit Pistons squad was ready to bring their game to game two.
After suffering an embarrassing 35 point game one loss, the team wanted to come out and compete, which they did for the majority of the game.
The Pistons ended the first half leading 59-58 as Reggie Jackson helped give Detroit the momentum.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks came out firing on all cylinders as they scored 35 points in the third quarter. The Bucks outscored the Pistons in the second half 62-40. They showed the character of the best regular season team in the NBA. They contributed as a team and played disciplined defense to stop any attempted Pistons run.
Antetokounmpo finished the game with 26 points and 12 rebounds after finishing the first half with only eight points. The likely MVP put his stamp on the game the only way he knows how to.
Jackson contributed with 18 points as he was attacking early. While Andre Drummond scored 18 points and grabbed 16 rebounds. However, the Pistons’ leading scorer for the game was Luke Kennard; who scored 19 points. Kennard started his first career playoff game and led his team in scoring for the second consecutive game.
The Bucks proved too much to handle for Detroit as they shot 52 percent from the field and held Detroit to 37 percent. Milwaukee has several scorers and play-makers, which is evident by the fact that they had 32 assists in the game. They moved the ball around enough to confuse the Pistons’ defense and share the wealth.
Three Takeaways:
- The Pistons’ young guns are not afraid of the bright lights. For the second consecutive game, Kennard led Detroit in scoring and played a team-high 35 minutes. Bruce Brown had only five points and two rebounds, however, he is the only Detroit player to post a positive +/- with a +4. Brown is not known for his scoring. But he is on the path to becoming a Marcus Smart type of player. At the end of the day, this playoff berth is about competing and building on this new culture. If along the way the Pistons’ young core gets valuable playoff minutes, then that is considered a win.
- Detroit needs a play-making wing to help the Pistons’ “big three.” Griffin was out for tonight’s game. But there is a severe lack of shot creation. This leads to opposing defenses easily locking down Detroit because the role players are not knocking down shots.
- If this team is healthy, then they can do some damage. Dwane Casey is exhibiting his superb coaching skills with a pretty limited roster. If you look at the final score, then you would think this was a blowout. This was far from a blowout for the majority of the game. In the end, Milwaukee is a favorite to win the Eastern Conference and their leader is the favorite to win MVP.
Detroit goes back hope for game three Saturday Night at 8 PM ET.