Rapid Recap: Bucks 121, Pistons 98

Nothing like an absolute rout to give this year a satisfying beginning, with the Milwaukee Bucks decimating the Detroit Pistons 121-98. The New Year may bring great tidings, but that was not the case for any Detroit Pistons fan in your life, as the Milwaukee Bucks spanked them from the very tip. From the first quarter on, this one was a clear victory for Cream City, as the Pistons waned under the relenting shotmaking as they were on fire from inside the arc.

The pleasant thing about tonight, is that every Buck seemed content with making it a decent shooting evening, saving their real ammunition for a real game against a quality opponent. No disrespect to the Pistons fans, but I feel bad they’re stuck in this version of mediocrity hell.

Giannis Antetokounmpo may not have been interested in dominating the field tonight, but he still had an all-encompassing performance with 15 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and three blocks. A quiet, but effective night nonetheless.

He didn’t need all that much starpower from his teammates either, with Brook Lopez as the leading man at a strong 25 points on 7-12 from deep. Khris Middleton added 22 as well while Eric Bledsoe had 18 points and six assists on the evening.

Blake Griffin had an okay evening for the Pistons with 29 points; unfortunately the rest of them did not. Reggie Jackson also added 19 points, but a sub-40% shooting performance as a team is essentially a death knell for anyone.

Stat that Stood Out

The Pistons are a middling team in terms of pace, but they could not keep up with Milwaukee in transition to save their life tonight, as the Bucks dominated fast break points 20-6. That turned this one into a rout rather quickly, as Casey’s squad fell apart in transition throughout the evening.