Milwaukee Bucks vs. Detroit Pistons: Monday Night Basketball Edition

The 19-9 Milwaukee Bucks travel to the Little Caesars Arena to face-off against the struggling 14-13 Detroit Pistons tonight. The Milwaukee Bucks are 6-6 away from the friendly confines of the Fiserv Forum, and the Pistons hold a somewhat respectable 10-6 home record.

Bucks Update

The Milwaukee Bucks won their last contest against the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-102 on Friday night. Giannis Antetokounmpo tied his career-high with 44 points in a massive effort where both Khris Middleton and Malcolm Brogdon did not play. Brook Lopez chipped in 19 points for Milwaukee, and point guard Eric Bledsoe added 16 points of his own. The Bucks shot 42.6% overall and 29.3% from the field. Thank goodness they were playing the Cavs.

The Milwaukee Bucks are 130-112 all-time against the Detroit Pistons, but the Bucks have won 3 of the last 5 matchups.

After missing the last game against Cleveland, both Khris Middleton and Malcolm Brogdon are listed as “probable” for tonight’s tilt.

Player to Watch: Khris Middleton

Do we have a revenge game on tap tonight? That could very well be the case. It’s always nice to remind the Pistons that Khris Middleton was essentially a “throw in” piece to the Brandon Jennings trade a few years back. Thanks again! Shade aside, Middleton is in a great spot to blow up and break out of his month-long slump. Perhaps a maintenance day against the Cavs is what he needed to get back on track.

Pistons Update

After coming out of the gates hot, the Pistons have fallen back down to earth. They won their last game against the Boston Celtics 113-104, which snapped a 6-game losing skid. A big part of Detroit’s struggles has been on the offensive end where they rank 29th in the NBA in team 3PT percentage (32.2%). Their lack of shooting is a recipe for disaster, and we saw that when they played the Bucks earlier this season. That game, the Pistons shot 23.7% from deep. Yuck.

The Pistons continue to somewhat keep their head above water due to the outstanding play of forward Blake Griffin. He’s averaging 25.7 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 5 assists per game this season. Blake also dropped 31 in their first meeting against the Bucks this season. He’s certainly upped the ante this year.

Player to Watch: Reggie Bullock

You might think this is a joke, but alas, here we are. Bullock is actually a very underrated piece to this Pistons team and just returned from injury against the Celtics where he scored 15 points. He’s a career 39.5 percent shooter from three and has given the Bucks problems in the past. On a team where he’s one of the only weapons from deep, if he’s knocking them down early, it could be another one of “those games” for the Bucks.