The NBA regular season continues. The Bucks sit at home and face the Pistons, who are at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. In the last game against the Pacers, Antetokounmpo scored 64 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals. Until the last moment of the fourth quarter and after the game, there were many controversies, such as Antetokounmpo's scoring problem. The last question is the ball. In Antetokounmpo's words, he didn't want to play at the last moment and just wanted to go and rest, but the coach asked him to break the record. Of course it felt great to be able to break the record. The Pacers players did not feel respected and took away the game ball after the game, which led to some conflicts and farce between the two sides. From the perspective of a bystander, Antetokounmpo has no subjective intention to brush up, but this method will make the competition between the scoring champion and the MVP lose its gold content, and a dispute between the two teams after the game is inevitable.
The Bucks previously had a record of 17 wins and 7 losses, ranking second in the Eastern Conference. The team's offensive efficiency is third in the league, and their points per game and field goal percentage are both second in the league. However, their defensive efficiency has been hovering outside the league's 20th place. Antetokounmpo averages 32 points per game + Lillard averages 25 points per game. As the season progresses, they basically gradually complement each other. In often stalemate games, Lillard will stand up and dominate the finishing moment at the last moment. But the team's shortcomings are also obvious. The front line lacks players who do the dirty work, and the defense of Lillard, Beasley, and Payne is almost useless. This leads to the inside of Antetokounmpo and Lopez. The defensive pressure doubled. In the latest MVP list, Antetokounmpo ranks third, second only to Embiid and Jokic.
The Pistons had a previous record of 2 wins and 23 losses. In the team's first three games, they narrowly lost to the Heat by 1 point. After beating the Hornets and Bulls, their 22-game losing streak was completely disappointing. Cunningham, the No. 1 pick, Wiseman, the No. 2 pick, Ivey and Orsal Thompson, the fifth pick in the first round for two consecutive years, and Hayes, the seventh pick in the first round in 2020, the talent on paper of this team is incredible. It is inferior to the Magic who have risen rapidly this season, but the team is in disarray. It ranks 29th in the league in offensive efficiency, 25th in the league in defensive efficiency, second in the league in turnovers per game, and is at the bottom of the league in steals per game. The situation is that they are fighting on their own. According to US media, the Pistons are preparing to make moves before the trade deadline. Their goal is simple, to win.
Bucks starting: Lillard + Beacham + Jackson + Antetokounmpo + Lopez, Pistons starting: Cunningham + Hayes + Thompson + Bogdanovic + Bagley. Unexpectedly, the game lost suspense from the first quarter. Beachum scored 7 points in a row with sudden inside and outside shots. Cunningham and Bogdanovic continued to train Lopez. Jackson and Lopez started raining three-pointers in the middle. Antetokounmpo scored 2+1 with Bagley's hard shot, and then scored Wiseman alone. In the second half, Lillard made an archery throw while riding a horse, Beachum dunked, Lillard hit consecutive three-pointers, AJ Green hit three consecutive points, and the Pistons were defeated! After the first quarter, the Bucks led the Pistons 43-20. Being questioned about scoring points, Antetokounmpo tried his best to control his shots in this game.
Back in the second quarter, Portis made an easy layup, and then combined with Connaughton to hit 3 points successfully, and the point difference instantly reached 30 points! Bogdanovic and Cunningham took turns responding in singles, Portis made sudden inside and outside shots, Antetokounmpo caused damage, and Beacham stole and counterattacked for a layup. The Bucks had a bit of a dimensionality reduction attack. Bogdanovic stopped the bleeding with a three-pointer in the middle, and Portis immediately responded with a three-pointer. The two faced off in singles, neither defensive, but the Pistons slowly caught up to about 20 points. At the end of the quarter, Lillard made a difficult fadeaway jumper, then faced Bogdanovic with a pull-up three-pointer, and then hit a three-pointer at the buzzer. At the end of the half, the Bucks led the Pistons 81-56. Ladd had 23 points, Antetokounmpo had 11 points, and Portis had 18 points.
81 points, the highest score the Bucks have scored in any half this season. Entering the third quarter, Bogdanovic and Bagley continued to chase points. Jackson and Connaughton made three-pointers to stop the bleeding. However, Bogdanovic also made every shot, and the point difference remained at around 20 points. Antetokounmpo frequently attacked the basket in the middle, Lillard actively caused damage, and with Portis' three-pointer, the point difference returned to 30 points again. After three quarters, the Bucks led the Pistons 114-83, and the game lost suspense early on.The entire fourth quarter was garbage time. The Pistons still had Bogda and Cunningham on the court. This time the Bucks coach did not let Antetokounmpo and Lillard continue to play. The final score was fixed at 146-114. The Bucks won by 32 points and ushered in a 3-game winning streak. The Pistons suffered a 23-game losing streak!
Pistons data, Cunningham 25 points and 6 assists, Bogdanovic 24 points, Bagley 12 points and 7 rebounds, Wiseman 17 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, Sather 11 points, Ivey 13 points 4 rebounds. The Pistons continue to set a new record for the longest losing streak in team history, including across seasons! Bucks data, Antetokounmpo had 22 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists, Lillard had 33 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists, Portis had 31 points and 12 rebounds, the Big Three scored 86 points together! Beacham had 11 points and 6 rebounds, Jackson had 10 points and 8 rebounds, and Payne had 11 points and 5 assists.
