Field Level Media
Dec 4, 2019
Giannis Antetokounmpo poured in 35 points and grabbed nine rebounds in 28 minutes, and the visiting Milwaukee Bucks extended their winning streak to 13 games by rolling past the Detroit Pistons 127-103 on Wednesday.
Khris Middleton had 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists while Eric Bledsoe contributed 13 points, six rebounds and six assists. Robin Lopez and Ersan Ilyasova each had 10 points off the bench for the Bucks.
Andre Drummond led the Pistons with 23 points, 14 rebounds and five assists. Langston Galloway scored 20 points, and Blake Griffin had 16 points and 10 rebounds but shot just 4-for-17 from the field. Derrick Rose added 14 points.
The Bucks won their 10th consecutive matchup against their Central Division opponent. Milwaukee swept the four-game regular season series and a first-round playoff series against Detroit last season, and the Bucks have won the first two games of this season's four-game series.
Milwaukee's previous two outings were also lopsided affairs, having thumped Charlotte by 41 points and New York by 44. The Pistons had won consecutive games by 30 or more points for the first time in franchise history entering the contest but were no match for the Bucks.
Detroit small forward Luke Kennard sat out the game due to knee soreness.
Antetokounmpo had 18 points and eight rebounds by halftime as the Bucks grabbed a 59-48 lead. Detroit was down double digits despite finishing the half on a 9-2 run.
Milwaukee had outscored Detroit 28-11 earlier in the quarter to take its biggest lead at 57-39. Ilyasova finished that off with a hook shot.
The Bucks scored the first two baskets of the third quarter to push their lead up to 15. Another 7-0 spurt from the Pistons, including five Griffin points, made it an eight-point game again.
Antetokounmpo knocked down a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 4:23 left in the third. That began a Milwaukee outburst that extended its lead to 92-72. Middleton finished it off with a baseline shot with 41.7 seconds left in the quarter.
--Field Level Media