After taking home the win in their preseason opener in Miami, the Milwaukee Bucks graced the home court of Fiserv Forum for the first time this season. In a big performance from AJ Green, who put up 22
points on a perfect 5/5 from the field (all three-pointers) and 7/7 from the free throw line, the Bucks took down the Detroit Pistons 117-111.
Game Recap
Both teams kept it close throughout the entire first quarter. Kevin Porter Jr. opened the scoring for the Bucks with a shot that is so quintessential of who KPJ is: a circus corner three while contested and falling to the ground. Myles Turner was able to get his first points at Fiserv Forum for the first time as a non-visiting player, with a 17-footer. Cade Cunningham was a problem for the Bucks, going 4/6 from the field and scoring 11 points throughout the quarter. The Bucks’ three-point shooting and ball movement were a boost for them, going 7/10 (!) from downtown and having nine assists on 11 made shots. That combination allowed them to hold off a strong push from the Pistons, going into the second quarter up by two, 33-31.
The Pistons’ size and length gave the Bucks fits on offense throughout much of the second quarter. They blitzed the Bucks’ undersized backcourt of Ryan Rollins and Cole Anthony, going on a 12-2 run in the first three minutes of the quarter to go up 43-35. That lead kept expanding for the Pistons, getting up to as many as 12 with 5:09 left in the second quarter. The Bucks were able to cut it under double digits thanks to the heroics of AJ Green, who scored seven straight, thanks to a big three with the shot clock running down, and then four straight made free throws. The Northern Iowa product kept up his hot shooting with another triple, bringing his total up to 10 points after not taking a shot in the first quarter. It wasn’t enough to break any closer, as the Pistons ended the first half with a tip-dunk from Bobi Klintman, giving them a 72-60 lead.
Milwaukee was able to get on track in the third, thanks to Green once again. He hit two big-time threes and three free throws as part of a 12-5 run to tie the game at 79-79. For the first time in a Bucks uniform, Rollins fouled out with 5:04 left in the third quarter and was replaced by Amir Coffey. As the quarter progressed, Doc Rivers began to sub in more of the end-of-bench guys, with Gary Harris, Andre Jackson Jr., and two-way Jamaree Bouyea. Even with that, the Bucks were able to hang in close with the Pistons. Harris even hit a three-pointer, but followed it up by giving up an and-one layup to Paul Reed to tie the game back up at 89-89. Neither team could buy a bucket to end the frame, so the two divisional rivals went into the fourth quarter tied at 89-89.
The backups kept a less-than-capacity crowd at Fiserv Forum entertained with a tightly contested game throughout the fourth quarter. Chris Livingston made his first appearance of the evening and was aggressive from the jump, drawing two fouls and hitting 3/4 from the free-throw line. The former Kentucky Wildcat’s efforts helped Milwaukee build a three-point cushion until the Pistons’ Tolu Smith hit a layup and Brice Williams hit a pair of free throws. Those four points gave Detroit a one-point lead with 6:19 left in regulation. Then the play of the night came from Thanasis Antetokounmpo, where he caught and threw down a one-handed lob from Mark Sears to give the Bucks a four-point edge late in the final period. After a few clutch layups from the undrafted Sears, the Bucks were able to hang on to win their second preseason game.
Stat That Stood Out
From executives to coaches to players, the Bucks have talked all offseason that they need to shoot more three-pointers after leading the league in percentage last season. So far through two preseason games, that’s held up. After taking 41 in Miami, they followed that up with an 18/36 performance against the Pistons, with AJ Green and Taurean Prince leading the way with five and three makes, respectively, from distance.
