Giannis Antetokounmpo scores 59, Pistons blow 18-point lead in OT loss to Bucks

On By Littum

When the league released the schedule for the 2024-25 season, almost everyone expected the Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks to be on opposite sides of the spectrum. The Bucks entered the season with championship hopes, while the Pistons appeared to be on the verge of another poor campaign.

But when the Pistons entered Fiserv Forum with a better record Wednesday night, it seemed as if the script had been flipped. In the first half, the Pistons showed why they had been the better team through the first 12 games.

BOX SCORE: Bucks 127, Pistons 120 (OT)

But a third-quarter performance led to the Pistons (5-8) giving up an 18-point lead en route to a 127-120 overtime loss to the Bucks. Milwaukee scored 38 points during the period and outscored the Pistons by 14 to power the comeback.

Brook Lopez’s 3-point field goal gave the Bucks (4-8) an 85-84 advantage at the end of the period, which also marked Milwaukee’s first lead of the night. Lopez was vital in the Bucks’ victory with 29 points, eight rebounds and five blocks. However, Giannis Antetokounmpo had one of the best performances of his career, with a season-high 59 points (21-34 FG, 1-2 3PT), 14 rebounds, seven assists, three blocks and two steals.

The Pistons and Bucks played each other close throughout the fourth quarter. An alley-oop between Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren tied the game at 108 with a minute left. Soon after, a triple by Taurean Prince gave the Bucks a 111-108 lead with 52 seconds left. On the next possession, Marcus Sasser drilled a clutch 3-pointer to tie the score at 111.

A missed 3-pointer by Prince left 1.2 seconds and coach JB Bickerstaff called a timeout. He made another inbound alley-oop that Cunningham could orchestrate, but he failed to connect with Ron Holland II. The officials called Antetokounmpo a shooting foul, but Holland was unable to secure a win by missing a pair of free throws.

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The Bucks jumped out on an 8-0 run to gain an early advantage in overtime. Cunningham finished with a season-high 35 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds.

Antetokounmpo began the night by scoring a season-high 22 during the first quarter, but Detroit established its dominance.

Malik Beasley made his first start in the absence of Jaden Ivey, who was one of five players sidelined by injury. Beasley torched his former team by scoring 14 of his 26 points in the first half, leading the Pistons to a 60-47 lead.

Holland was also instrumental in helping the Pistons build a double-digit lead in the first half, scoring nine points. He finished with 11 points, three rebounds and one steal in his first career start. Holland started in place of Tim Hardaway Jr., who suffered a head injury in Tuesday’s overtime win against the Miami Heat.

The Pistons became even more short-handed after Isaiah Stewart’s premature exit. At the 3:02 mark of the third quarter, Stewart received a flagrant 2 foul and ejection after pulling Antetokounmpo to the ground by the back of his jersey.

Observations vs. Bucks

➤ Inability to maintain double digit leads.

With five wins through the first 13 games, the Pistons are off to their best start since the 2017-18 season. However, they find it difficult to maintain double-digit leads. A blown 18-point advantage against the Bucks marked the fourth time in five games that the Pistons gave up a double-digit lead. However, they have been able to avoid an epic collapse by picking up wins against the Los Angeles Lakers, Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat.

➤ More minutes for Marcus Sasser?

The Pistons were extremely short-handed against the Bucks, forcing Bickerstaff to delve deeper into his bench. In Milwaukee, after Marcus Sasser’s performance, Bickerstaff could have found another reliable player to use in his system.

After five consecutive DNPs, Sasser came off the bench and showcased his talents with 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting, 1-of-2 from behind the arc. Bickerstaff has often noted that one of his main goals at the start of the season is to find more top five lineups, and he can find a new one by giving Sasser more playing time.

➤ Learning moment for Ron Holland II.

If Holland had hit at least one free throw, he would have left Milwaukee a hero. But going 0-of-2 from the foul line, the rookie prospect from the G League Ignite fell short.

While it may be frustrating in the moment, expect to see Holland use this as motivation to continue working on his shooting. Since the start of training camp, Holland has spent countless hours working with assistant coach Fred Vinson. Given his work ethic, Holland will add to his shooting practice going forward.

Next

The Pistons continue their three-game road trip Friday night against the Toronto Raptors. The game will mark the second of Detroit’s four-game season in the NBA Cup tournament group stage. Tip-off between the Pistons and Raptors is scheduled for 19 at Scotiabank Arena.

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