Giannis Antetokounmpo was an 18-year-old Bucks rough draft pick
Giannis Antetokounmpo was the Bucks’ first-round pick in 2013. The 18-year-old rookie is a two-time MVP and a powerhouse in the NBA ten years later.
Ebony Cox, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
DETROIT – The Milwaukee Bucks were without MVP candidate and All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo along with All-Star guard Jrue Holiday, but they managed to beat the Detroit Pistons 126-117 Monday night at Little Caesars Arena.
The win brought the Bucks’ tally to 54-21 and kept them two games clear of the Boston Celtics for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. The Pistons are worst in the league 16-59 and have lost six in a row.
Veterans bucks outlast pistons
The Bucks had their hands full most of the game against the young Pistons, especially since coach Duane Casey challenged their efforts in an earlier loss to Toronto. Detroit never fell apart, despite trailing by as many as 15, and cut Milwaukee to no less than one late in the third quarter and to less than four early in the fourth quarter.
But, despite the best efforts of second-year point guard Jaden Ivey (32 points, eight assists, eight rebounds) and 13th-ranked pick Jalen Duren (18 points, 10 rebounds), the Bucks veterans were able to hold their own. Those increases, and finally rebuild a late 14-point late lead to regain control of the game.
square score:Bucks 126, Pistons 117
Chris Middleton led the Bucks with 34 points on 13 of 23 shooting. He also had five assists and eight rebounds. Brook Lopez had 24 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks. Bobby Portis scored 21 points and 14 rebounds.
Detroit, which on Jan. 23 had a season-high 40 free throws made by a Milwaukee opponent, shot 36 Monday night. But the Pistons were only 7-for-24 (29%) from behind the three-point line. The Bucks force teams into the midrange, Casey said before the game and teams can’t make enough of those to win, and the veteran coach was right. The Bucks made seven more triples (14-for-44), led by Jevon Carter.
It was the fourth time this season that Carter had hit 6 times. He was 8-for-15 with 22 points and hit several key triples in the fourth quarter to help drive the Bucks’ lead.
What’s the Bucks’ record without Giannis?
Antetokounmo missed their 16th match of the season, and their first since March 11. The Bucks qualified 10-6 when he did not play.
Goran Dragic makes bucks for the first time
The 36-year-old point guard, Goran Dragic, played his first game since signing with Milwaukee on March 4. He scored for the first time with 2 minutes and 22 seconds left in the first quarter, and caught an assist on his first offensive possession by finding Wesley Matthews to throw the ball.
He played nine minutes and was 0 for 2 with three assists.
Dragić had missed his last four games as a Chicago Bull with left knee soreness (and one more where he was waived), then sat out 11 games with a left knee problem as a member of the Bucks.
He was available to play March 11 against Golden State but was suspended after morning practice. He was also considered available to play against Sacramento on March 13 but was not.
In 51 games with the Bulls – all off the bench – Dragić has played about 15 minutes per game and shot 35.2% from behind the three-point line. He’s a three-point shooter with a percentage of 36.1%, but his offensive game is a little different in that he tries to get into the paint and the midfield to look for his shot or play-making.
more:A timeline of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s injuries during his NBA career and how quickly he bounced back from them
Giannis Antetokounmo has a sore knee
The MVP candidate missed 16y Game of the season for the Bucks, where he and the team successfully treated right knee pain that appeared after back-to-back games in Utah and Denver.
Bucks coach Mike Bodenholzer said the pain was no different than what Antetokounmpo has been able to manage over the course of the year. Antetokounmpo last appeared on injury report with this specific ailment again on March 6 after back-to-back matches.
If there is a positive side to this development, it is that Antetokounmpo does not miss the match due to another injury. He committed a huge right-handed foul against the Nuggets and has missed games with this injury since he first suffered it on February 16.
He hasn’t missed a game with knee soreness since dealing with his left knee from January 12-21.
Jrue vacation for personal reasons
Holiday wasn’t with the team in Detroit for personal reasons, and Bodenholzer said he wasn’t sure if Holiday would be able to finish the trip in Indianapolis on Wednesday.
The starting point guard hasn’t missed a game since March 7 in Orlando. It is the thirteenth game of the season that the holiday has missed.
Holiday was 3-for-11 for nine points and had seven assists in the Bucks’ loss in Denver on Sunday.
What is the magic pax number?
6
The number was set by a combination of Bucks wins and losses to the Boston Celtics to clinch the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
5 numbers
4-2 Bucks scored at Antetokounmpo And holiday do not play.
8-5 Record bucks when you’re not playing the holiday.
10-6 Record dollars when Antetokounmpo is not playing.
21 Bucks second chance, 20 of which came in the second half. An extra effort was needed, as the Bucks 20 succumbed to the Pistons.
644 Blocks as a buck for Brook Lopez after hitting two against the Pistons. He moved him to No. 4 all-time in franchise history, passing Andrew Bogut. Bogut was the #1 pick by the Bucks in 2005 and played in 408 games over seven seasons in Milwaukee. Lopez played his 305th inningy Bucks game after signing in 2018-19.
The game was played off of Wesley Matthews in the fourth quarter
The Bucks led 99-95 with 10:21 to go in the game, and they were hanging around before Wesley Matthews put his stamp on the game.
He grabbed a defensive rebound after a bland defense by Bobby Portez forced a missed shot, and Matthews fired a two-foot overhead pass to Jevon Carter for a three-pointer transition to make it 102-95.
Then after the Pistons timed out, Matthews stole a pass from Corey Joseph and fouled the ensuing speed break. Matthews made two free throws to make it 104-95.
Then he forced another turnover, switched defense and played a corner around a screen to meet RJ Hampton in the fairway with some contact, forcing Hampton to lose it out of bounds. Brook Lopez had a bucket on the next possession, and the Bucks went up 106-95 and put it away from there.
The game video is a triple pointer around the horn
Prior to the game, Pistons head coach Dwayne Casey said that one of the biggest differences he had noticed in the Bucks over the course of the year was the improved ball movement on offense. Milwaukee showed the ball with a Jevon Carter three-pointer about five minutes before halftime, as the ball started in one direction and circled around the field in the other. That opened Carter’s three, which was part of a 12-2 run.
Dollar injury report
Who does Pax play next?
The last regular season road trip concludes Wednesday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis as the Bucks take on the Pacers. Indiana won the last game, with a 123-119 win at Fiserv Forum. The Bucks won the previous games 132-119 and 141-131, and the Bucks gave the right money to knock them down and shoot the outside. Former Bucks player Jordan Nora has averaged 14.4 points per game over the last 10, including 12 in the Pacers’ win over his former team.
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