The Detroit Pistons fall to 3-11 on what has been an extremely disappointing season thus far. They played well in the first half but couldn't rebound or shoot costless throws down the stretch, as they finished at 42 percent from the charity stripe, while allowing just under 20 offensive rebounds.
The Bucks had big bodies that disrupted the Pistons' abilitiy to rebound, especially later in the game. Center's Zaza Pachulia and Larry Sanders combined for nine offensive rebounds and in one possession, in the fourth quarter, the Bucks kept the ball for over a minute after three straight offensive boards.
The Pistons poor foul shooting wasn't too surprising, though, as the team has been shooting sub-70 percent all season. Pistons fans can now stop chirping at Smith for his jump shot volume (he only attempted four jump shots tonight, including a three pointer that he made), but he was 2-of-10 from the costless throw line.
Andre Drummond started off great, as he scored double digit in points in the first quarter. In one sequence, he got a block on one end and hustled down the floor for an alley-oop from Smith. The Pistons were feeding him early on but went away from attacking the paint in the third quarter. Even shooters, such as Butler and Singler, got driving layups in the first half, but in the second half, it was the usual possesion struggles for Detroit.
Several possesions saw one player dribbling too much, with a team that seems alergic to spacing the floor and taking a low percentage shot. Rookie Spencer Dinwiddie was playing well in the second quarter, as he found Monroe for a driving layup, and then, a few plays later, made a quick swing pass to Kyle Singler for a corner three-pointer. The Pistons led by six at that point but couldn't continue the offense down the stretch.
Former Piston Brandon Knight was impressive tonight, as he scored 20 points and added eight assists and three makes from downtown. The Pistons were able to limit O.J. Mayo and Giannis Antetokounmpo, who combined for only six made field goals, but in the fourth quarter, backup big man Zaza Pachulia harrassed the Pistons on the offensive glass and even swished a mid-range jump shot just when the Pistons had cut the lead to eight with four minutes remaining.
Stan Van Gundy's biggest challenge will be to get this particular team to play for a full 48 minutes, something that, even in their three wins, they have not achieved this season.
The Pistons play tomorrow night against the Los Angeles Clippers at 7:30 PM EST, while Milwauke will also play tomorrow at Minnesotta at 8:00 PM EST.