Ron Holland missed FTs cost Pistons collapse against Bucks, 127-120

On November 14, 2024By Littum

The Detroit Pistons’ hard-fought overtime win over the Miami Heat on Tuesday came with an injury cost.

They lost two starters – Tim Hardaway Jr. (head wound) and Jaden Ivey (right big toe sprain) – and Simone Fontecchio (left big toe sprain). The Milwaukee Bucks awaited them on the road a day later on Wednesday.

The Bucks were also shorthanded due to injuries, but they still had enough.

Late mistakes were costly for the Pistons, who collapsed Wednesday and gave up an 18-point lead en route to a 127-120 overtime loss to a Bucks team that was without Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton.

The Pistons led 70-52 early in the third. That was before a 33-14 run gave Milwaukee its first lead of the night, 85-84, at the end of the period. Marcus Sasser tied the game at 111 with 25.7 seconds left in the fourth.

For the second night in a row, the Pistons tried to win the game with an inbound alley-oop. Cade Cunningham almost converted the pass to Ron Holland, but the rookie was dropped in the air by Giannis Antetokounmpo. With one second on the clock and a chance to win the game, Holland missed both free throws.

Antetokounmpo scored a season-high 59 points to lead the Bucks to victory. He sparked an 8-0 run to open overtime, knocking down a deep pull-up 3-pointer to give the Pistons their biggest deficit of the night, 119-111. They could not recover.

Cunningham scored a season-high 35 points, dished out 11 assists and grabbed seven rebounds. Malik Beasley added a season-high 26 points and hit eight 3-pointers. Wendell Moore Jr. played a season-high 23 minutes and finished with nine points and four rebounds.

Beasley delivers his best performance of the season

It’s been an up-and-down start to the season for Beasley, who is shooting a career-low 36.6% from the floor so far. But that number doesn’t represent his impact on the team, both on and off the field. He has knocked down timely 3s, such as his late bucket against the Heat on Tuesday that tied the game before Cunningham’s alley-oop to Duren ultimately led to a win.

And Beasley has embraced his mentor role on the team. Players have often mentioned how helpful he has been.

“He’s great,” Bickerstaff said after Tuesday’s win. “We had to run him for a long stretch in the second half. But he hit big shots for us and he took on the role of (Tyler) Herro late in the game and got a couple of stops there as well. Beas has been phenomenal — his energy, the way he brings people together, all those things. He’s been huge for us so far in building this.”

Beasley spent all of last season with the Bucks, and he had a message to send. During the team’s most short-handed game of the season so far, he was one of the biggest catalysts in the team’s early 18-point lead.

Holland gets the first start due to injuries

It wasn’t clear how big the rookie’s role would be on a Pistons team that appeared to have depth at the wing. But Ausar Thompson’s absence cleared a path for the Netherlands, and while still raw, he has also delivered big plays and earned the confidence of the coaching staff in times of crisis.

Wednesday was one of his best as he reached double figures in scoring for the second time in his short career with 11 points on 5-for-10 shooting, four rebounds, two assists and a steal. Holland has developed a knack for maneuvering around defenders and finishing, and he had several Euro-level finishes in Milwaukee.

Unfortunately, his first start ended with a pair of missed free throws that could have pulled the Pistons a game within .500. It was an inconsequential rookie moment in a game that started as one of his best.

Contact Omari Sankofa II at [email protected]. Follow him @omarisankofa.

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