The Milwaukee Bucks’ downward trend continued with their fourth straight loss, going down 129-116 to the Detroit Pistons. The win for Detroit not only extends their winning streak to 12 games, but also ends their 13-game losing streak against the Bucks. Read our full summary of the game here and catch a six-minute audio recap on the Bucks+ podcast, Bucks In Six Minutes, below.
Player Grades
Ryan Rollins
34 minutes, 24 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks, 9/21 FG, 3/8 3PT, -23
It was a difficult matchup for Rollins tonight,
with the Pistons throwing their best defender, Ausar Thompson, at him from the jump. Rollins handled it well in some spots and not so well in others. Having to carry an offense that is severely limited against good defensive players is a tall task, especially for someone who, not too long ago, was on a two-way.
Grade: B-
Myles Turner
30 minutes, 11 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks, 4/8 FG, 2/6 3PT, -23
The Bucks have to get Turner more involved offensively. They can’t treat him as just a catch-and-shoot big man and a roller. Doc talked about it back at media day that he can operate at the elbow and is an underrated passer. I’d also like to see more of an edge from Turner on the defensive end.
Grade: C-
Kyle Kuzma
16 minutes, 13 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 5/10 FG, -12
It’s hard to knock a guy who was sick and had to guard Cade Cunningham. Doc rightfully shut him down for most of the night.
Grade: C
AJ Green
28 minutes, 15 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 5/10 3PT, -21
Green continued his incredible efficiency from beyond the arc in this one. He seemed sound enough defensively compared to Thursday, and helped the Bucks get back into the game.
Grade: B
Bobby Portis
25 minutes, 18 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 7/10 FG, 4/5 3PT, -15
Portis was electric in the first quarter, going a perfect 5/5 from the field and 4/4 from the three-point line for 14 points. He obviously slowed down quite a bit for the rest of the game, going 2/5 for four points the rest of the way. He also constantly left Tobias Harris open for three, which Harris made him pay for.
Grade: C
Gary Trent Jr.
19 minutes, 8 points, 3/5 FG, 2/4 3PT, -3
Trent sat out most of the third quarter, and for good reason. He was getting beaten off the dribble on defense, and his shooting has been off for almost the entire season. All eight of his points came in the second half, when the game was well out of hand.
Grade: D+
Cole Anthony
14 minutes, 4 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 5 turnovers, 2/5 FG, +10
There have been calls from fans for Doc to bench Anthony in favor of rookie Mark Sears. While I don’t totally agree, I see where some people are coming from. He had over double the amount of turnovers as he did assists, and has been a negative on both ends of the floor.
Grade: D-
Jericho Sims
24 minutes, 6 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 3/3 FG, +3
This was a solid game from Jericho. He was aggressive on the boards, played good interior defense, and finally scored on something other than a dunk.
Grade: B
Andre Jackson Jr.
29 minutes, 6 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 2/6 FG, -3
Coming into the game, Jackson had only been on the floor for a combined 18 minutes this season. He nearly doubled that last night as he got his first chance to play big minutes with Kuzma sick. Overall, it was a good game for the former second-round pick. My only note is that he needs to take some velocity off his passes, as a couple of them bounced off the hands of other Bucks players and landed out of bounds.
Grade: B+
Doc Rivers
The lack of creativity on offense, especially in ways to involve Turner more offensively than as a catch-and-shoot big. The decision to bring Jackson in over Gary Harris was intriguing, and I think it was a worthwhile shot, especially with Kuzma feeling sick. Outside of that, it ain’t looking good for Rivers.
Grade: C-
Limited Minutes: Gary Harris
Garbage Time: Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Pete Nance, Amir Coffey, Mark Sears
Inactive: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Porter Jr., Taurean Prince, Alex Antetokounmpo
Bonus Bucks Bits
- Kyle Kuzma was added late to the injury report with an illness and still played 16 minutes. Doc Rivers said Kuzma was sick all day and didn’t even show up for practice. Rivers even admitted that he should have taken Kuzma out earlier than he did:
“You could see it early. I almost took him out early, (and) I probably should have. Of all the nights you don’t want to be sick, guarding Cade (Cunningham). It was a tough one; he wanted to play. I wish I hadn’t played him.”
- Bobby Portis notched his 8,000th point in his NBA career. In his 11-year career, nearly 60% of his points have come with the Bucks.
- The Bucks had 15 turnovers, and 10 of them were outright steals by the Pistons. Detroit’s physical style hampered the Bucks’ offense all night long. AJ Green was asked what the Bucks could do better to counteract the physical defenses they’ll see again.
“Playing together offensively, owning our space. They made it tough on Ry (Rollins) picking up, and we didn’t help him enough early on. The times when we did and we got side-to-side, played the DHO game (dribble hand off), and got it moving, we got great looks. It’s hard to be physical when there’s pace and the ball is moving, and so offensively, I think we’re doing more of that, and you gotta match the physicality too.”
- For the second year in a row, through 17 games, the Bucks have the same record of 8-9.
- The Bucks are now 1-3 in games where Giannis doesn’t play.
Up Next
The Bucks will end their three-game home stand on Monday, as the Portland Trail Blazers come to town. It will be the first time since he was waived and stretched this offseason that Damian Lillard will be in Milwaukee. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Central time, and you can watch it on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin.
