Fast start propels Bucks past Pistons 130-115 (WITH VIDEOS)

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 25 points and Khris Middleton added 23 as the Milwaukee Bucks rolled past the Detroit Pistons 130-115 on Wednesday night for their third straight victory.

This marked the second time in three nights that the Bucks and Pistons have faced off in Milwaukee. The Bucks (5-3) beat the Pistons 125-115 on Monday and have now won their last nine regular-season meetings with Detroit.

The Pistons (1-7) had fallen by 10 points or fewer in each of their first six losses but never had much of a chance in this one. Milwaukee (5-3) was ahead 82-56 at halftime and led by as many as 34 in the third quarter and coasted to the win.

Detroit’s Jerami Grant had 31 points to lead all scorers.

The Bucks improved to 4-0 at home, where they’re outscoring teams by an average margin of 23.5 points. The Bucks finish their current five-game home stretch by hosting Utah on Friday and Cleveland on Saturday.

Brook Lopez scored 17 points, Bobby Portis had 16, rookie Jordan Nwora provided 11 and Jrue Holiday added 10 for the Bucks.

Saddiq Bey scored 20 points, Wayne Ellington 12 and Derrick Rose 10 for the Pistons.

Rose left the game early with a bruised right knee.

MAKING A STATEMENT

On the night after a prosecutor decided not to file charges against a white police officer who shot a Black man in Wisconsin, both the Bucks and Pistons offered their response at the start of the game.

After the Bucks won the opening tip, Antetokounmpo held the ball as all the other players from both teams took a knee. After the ensuing Detroit inbounds pass, Griffin held the ball while all the other players again took a knee.

Jacob Blake was left paralyzed after getting shot in the back multiple times by Kenosha police officer Rusten Sheskey on Aug. 23. The Bucks sat out a first-round playoff game with the Orlando Magic last summer to protest that shooting.

Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley announced Tuesday that no charges would be filed because he couldn’t disprove Sheskey’s contention that he acted in self-defense out of fear Blake would stab him. At a pregame shootaround, Lopez called the decision “obviously disappointing, very disheartening.”

TIP-INS

Pistons: Rookie guard Killian Hayes tore the labrum in his right hip during the third quarter of Monday’s game. The Pistons announced the severity of Hayes’ injury Wednesday without offering a timetable for his potential return. Hayes was the No. 7 overall pick in the 2020 draft. He had averaged 4.6 points and 21.1 minutes through his first seven games.

Bucks: Milwaukee was 19 of 43 from 3-point range and just missed reaching 20 3-pointers in a game for the fourth time this season. Before this year, the Bucks had made at least 20 3-pointers in a game just four times in franchise history.

UP NEXT

The Bucks host Utah on Friday as they continue this five-game homestand. This will mark the first time these two teams have met since Nov. 25, 2019.

The Pistons return home to face Phoenix on Friday. Detroit has swept its two regular-season matchups with the Suns each of the last three years.