Rapid Recap: Bucks 104, Pistons 90

In their first matchup against them since last year’s playoffs, the Milwaukee Bucks knocked off the Detroit Pistons, 104-90.

The first quarter wouldn’t feature the start Milwaukee would want from deep, but it didn’t matter too much. They’d start out 0-from-4 from the perimeter, but a Wesley Matthews trey got the ball rolling. Milwaukee’s largest lead in the quarter would be 12, but Detroit would chip away and make things just a three point game heading into the second period at 27-24.

Though it was just a three point advantage after one, the Bucks showed their amount of control in the second quarter — mainly thanks to the MVP. He’d tally eight points in the period, which was enough to ignite a spark for the rest of the squad. At halftime, the Bucks led 54-47, with the buzzer sounding on a George Hill three from the corner.

The Bucks would accelerate on the gas pedal in the third, extending their lead to as many as 17 points at one time. Nonetheless, Detroit never got knocked out, and kept things at single-digits throughout the majority of the period thanks to an 8-0 run. Yet, it never felt as if Milwaukee was in danger. At the end of three, the Bucks held to a 77-69 lead.

Danger would never come, as Milwaukee put on cruise control and coasted across the finish line for this one, wrapping things up with a 104-90 victory.

Stat That Stood Out

With his double-double tonight, Giannis has achieved the longest double-double streak to start a season since Moses Malone had 16 straight to open the 1981-82 season. I know we’re all used to it at this point, but nonetheless, it never gets old seeing neat statistics like this pop up. It’s also pretty neat when he does stuff like this:

It’s plays like this that are solidifying his early No. 1 ranking (in my opinion) in the MVP race, and I’m sure many of you will agree with me. He also had a nifty one-handed slam in the first half that made the press box shake. Those types of plays never get stale.