Bucks Zone

"It was great to see everyone playing together with no real chemistry issues!" - Brook Lopez speaks on the Milwaukee Bucks being at full strength finally

The Milwaukee Bucks routed the Detroit Pistons with Giannis and Middleton returning.

Matthew Dugandzic

© Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports
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With their two stars back, the Milwaukee Bucks turned in a dominant performance as they beat the Detroit Pistons, 150-130, on Monday night.

Dominant start and return of stars

Giannis Antetokounmpo returned from a five-game absence and powered the Bucks to the 20-point blowout with 29 points and 12 rebounds.

Also returning for the Bucks was Khris Middleton, who had missed the team's last 18 games. Middleton came off the bench and tallied eight points in 15 minutes of play.

Behind Antetokounmpo, the Bucks were quick to rip the game wide open, exploding for 49 points in the opening quarter, while Detroit could only muster 24, resulting in a substantial 25-point Milwaukee lead.

Antetokounmpo scored 20 in the decisive first-quarter Milwaukee run. Milwaukee's total output in the opening period was two points shy of tying the NBA record.

It was the first time in more than a month that Antetokounmpo and Middleton played together, as they have been out since January 11th and December 15th, respectively.

"It was great to see everyone playing together with no real chemistry issues," said Bucks center Brook Lopez, who finished with 21 points.

All-around offensive output

Milwaukee led by 28 at the half, 83-55. The lead reached as high as 33 in the second half as the Bucks were never really threatened in posting their third straight win against the Pistons in the season. The two teams will meet again on March 28th, also in Detroit.

Bobby Portis Jr., Jevon Carter, and Jrue Holiday also scored in double figures for the Bucks. Portis and Carter each had 18, while Holiday tallied 16. Bojan Bogdanovic led Detroit with 33 points.

In a game that saw the Bucks tally a season-high in points, 12 of the 13 players that coach Mike Budenholzer put on the court managed to score.

Shooting 55-for-98 from the field, including a 44.2% clip (23-of-52) from the three-point area, the Bucks fell three points short of matching the most points scored in a single game this season.

The Sacramento Kings earned that distinction through their 153-121 beating of the Brooklyn Nets on November 15th.

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Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.