What we learned from the Milwaukee Bucks' dominant win over the Detroit Pistons
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It could have easily been what is often called in the NBA as a “trap game” for the Milwaukee Bucks. After all, they were playing a Detroit Pistons squad, which, before the match, had lost 22 games in a row. The Bucks, though, did not mess around and dominated the Pistons from tip-off until the final buzzer in a 146-114 victory.
Here are a couple of takeaways from the one-sided match:
Took control of the game from the onset
The Bucks were aware of how it can be easy to play down to the level of your opponent for that night. However, they didn’t; instead, they used the opportunity to take control from the outset and zoomed off to a massive 23-point lead after the first, 43-20. It was a lead the Bucks did not relinquish, playing with a focused and intense attitude throughout, never letting the Pistons get back into the game.
"I don't like to say it, but (sometimes in games like this), you kind of play down to the level of who you're playing and kind of take your foot off the gas and relax," Bobby Portis said after the match.
"You let a team hang around the whole game, and then the fourth quarter, it's a close game. I like how we started from the jump and took control of the game, especially with having a game the next day against the Rockets; they're playing great basketball."
It was a sentiment that was confirmed by Bucks coach Adrian Griffin, who shared that there was an urgency in the locker room before the game that spoke to the team’s approach. He credited the team’s leaders for setting the tone long before tip-off.
“I thought our leaders were leaders tonight,” Griffin said.
“There was no messing around. I thought that in the locker room, there was a seriousness before the game.”
Highlights from tonight's WIN over the Pistons.
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) December 17, 2023
⚡️: @we_energies pic.twitter.com/gPu4SyHMMf
Portis put on a show
Speaking of Portis, the reserve forward had his best scoring performance in a Bucks’ uniform, tallying 31 points on 11-of-17 shooting, along with 12 rebounds in only 27 minutes of action. Portis said that it’s crucial for the team to do well on this homestand, so they can get a rhythm going when they hit the road soon.
"I think it's big for us in this homestand to find a rhythm, find ourselves, obviously, on both sides of the ball and try to get some wins, try to win as many as we can at home before we go back on the road," Portis said.
"I think it's critical for us to play our good basketball here, protect our home court like we've been doing."
Bobby balled out.
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) December 17, 2023
31 PTS | 12 REB | 4 3PM pic.twitter.com/t7CIDRCwsk