Pistons vs. Bucks: Tim Hardaway Jr. injury update, keys to the game and how to watch

The Detroit Pistons won an unlikely overtime thriller against the Miami Heat just about six hours ago in a game that kept me awake for many reasons. 

The Pistons dominated early, coughed up a big lead, took control of the game late, coughed it up again, went back and forth in overtime and then won when one of the best coaches in the NBA made a mental blunder. 

Just an average game for the Pistons this season. I went from thinking I was going to be sick to dancing around the room in the span of a minute. I live overseas, so it was 3AM and my poor wife was woken to "NOOOOOO!!!" "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?" "OH MY GOD!" and "YES, I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!" peppered with generous cursing. Sorry about that.

It was the 4th game in a row decided by the final shot, with the Pistons splitting games that they 100 percent would have lost last season. 

I can’t remember the last time they were on the right side of a heart-attack-inducing game like that and with a minute left in overtime I had resigned myself to using the “man getting kicked repeatedly in groin” gif on social media. 

But they won! A fact some of the more miserable fans among us chose to ignore as they called Cade Cunningham “trash” and complained about a win. Are Pistons fans getting greedy already? Sheesh. 

That being said, some things will have to change if the Pistons plan on winning too many more close games like that. 

They’ll get a chance right away again tonight against the Milwaukee Bucks, who are also on the second game of a back-to-back after beating the Raptors last night in the first game of the NBA Cup. 

Tonight’s game is not an NBA Cup game, but you can find the full schedule, results and standings here. 

Pistons injuries vs. Bucks 

The best news is that a CAT scan for Tim Hardaway Jr. came back negative after he had to leave the game with a scary head injury. THJ got absolutely pummeled on the play in which he was elbowed in the face, pushed by Tyler Herro, kneed in the back of the head by Jalen Duren and then bounced his head off the floor before somehow getting called for the foul. 

Let’s first hope that he’s ok, as that didn’t look great and there was a substantial amount of blood on the floor. 

Let’s also hope THJ won’t be out long, as he’s been the Pistons’ most consistent long-range shooter. 

Ausar Thompson is still ramping up after being cleared to play, so will be out of the lineup tonight and Bobi Klintman is also still out. 

The Bucks will be missing Damian Lillard, Khris Middleton and Ryan Rollins is listed as day-to-day after having to leave last night’s game with a shoulder injury. 

How to watch Pistons vs. Bucks 

As per usual, the game will be on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit if you have cable or 950 AM if you like the radio. This is the start of a 3-game road trip and will tip off at 8:00 PM ET.

You can find all of the Pistons’ streaming options here, with some new choices this year. 

Pistons’ keys to beating the Bucks 

I am sure every Pistons fan who watched last night’s game will say the same thing when it comes to keys to the game: Take care of the damn ball. 

The Pistons did a great job of that last night up until the final minutes of the 4th quarter. Detroit only had 10 total turnovers prior to that but would cough it up nine more times as a team, five of them by Cade Cunningham, who suddenly looked as if he’d been handling butter. 

It was a shame, as up until that point, Cunningham had played well on a low scoring night, controlled the pace of the game and made all of the right reads, ending the game with 21 points, nine assists and seven rebounds to go along with his seven turnovers.

At one point in the game, he and Jaden Ivey had a combined 15 assists and only four turnovers but finished the game with 16 and 10. 

Let’s be real, part of this was because the refs stopped calling fouls, as Cade was getting hacked on all of those turnovers and it’s harder to take care of the ball when you are getting mugged. 

The turnovers shouldn’t even have been a factor, as the Pistons left Tyler Herro wide-open on three consecutive plays, which turned into nine quick points after the Pistons had a commanding lead with only 1:30 left in the game. The lack of defense was just as culpable for the Pistons nearly blowing it as the turnovers. 

So, what are the keys to the game? Defend just like they have been for most of the game. Take care of the ball. Veterans make a few three-pointers. Simple. 

The Pistons did win the rebounding battle decisively last night and will need to again against Giannis, Bobby Portis and Brook Lopez, who have all given the Pistons fits in the past.