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Pistons 116, Bucks 111
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
AUBURN HILLS, Mich.– Power forward Greg Monroe tied his season high with 28 points, and the Detroit Pistons snapped a three-game losing streak with a 116-111 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night at The Palace.
Detroit forward Josh Smith tossed in 26 points, and point guard Brandon Jennings supplied 20 points and 13 assists.
Pistons center Andre Drummond collected his Eastern Conference-high 49th double-double with 10 points and 16 rebounds, while guard Kyle Singler chipped in 14 points. Monroe also grabbed 14 rebounds.
Detroit (27-47) lost eight of its previous nine games, including a 123-98 blowout defeat to Philadelphia on Saturday that ended the 76ers’ NBA-record tying 26-game losing streak. The Pistons, who won for just the second time in 38 games when trailing entering the fourth quarter, clinched the season series with the Bucks, 3-1.
Milwaukee (14-60) lost for the 10th time in 11 games, reaching the 60-loss mark for the second time in franchise history.
Ex-Pistons point guard Brandon Knight led the Bucks with 25 points, and he added nine rebounds and seven assists. Guard Ramon Sessions had 20 points and 11 assists, and forward Jeff Adrien added 16 points and eight rebounds.
The Pistons scored 12 unanswered points midway through the third quarter to erase a double-digit deficit. Neither team led by more than five the rest of the quarter, and the Bucks held an 82-81 advantage entering the fourth quarter.
Detroit reserve guard Rodney Stuckey was assessed a flagrant-1 foul with 8:39 remaining for shoving Milwaukee rookie guard Giannis Antetokounmpo on a fast break. Antetokounmpo made both free throws, then drilled a 3-pointer from the left side to give Milwaukee a 90-85 advantage.
Monroe’s put-back with 4:28 left put the Pistons back on top 99-98. Smith’s dunk and a free throw 35 seconds later stretched the lead to four, and Smith added a jumper with 3:30 left. Monroe’s layup with 2:52 left maintained the six-point advantage, and Smith fired in a 21-footer to make it 108-100. Smith’s 3-pointer and fast-break dunk clinched the victory.
NOTES: Bucks SG O.J. Mayo did not play for the third straight game because of a sprained right ankle. … Milwaukee’s worst finish was 20-62 in 1993-94. … The Bucks have used 26 different lineups and 16 different starters. … Both teams came into the game with three wins in the month of March. … The Bucks’ lone road victory since the New Year was a 130-110 triumph over Philadelphia on Feb. 24. … Detroit won for the 11th time in its past 15 home games against Milwaukee. … The Pistons allowed their previous two opponents to shoot 53.2 percent while losing by a combined 57 points. “Our true one-on-one defense hasn’t been good all year,” Detroit interim head coach John Loyer said. The Bucks shot just 44.3 percent. … Detroit PF Greg Monroe has 98 double-doubles since the 2011-12 season, the most in the Eastern Conference.
