Bucks at Pistons
The Milwaukee Bucks had no problem keeping homecourt advantage in the first two games of their Eastern Conference playoff series, bludgeoning the eighth-seeded Detroit Pistons by an average of 28 points to take a 2-0 lead. The Pistons will try to turn things around and avoid a 3-0 hole when the series shifts to Detroit for Game 3 on Saturday.
Detroit was without All-Star forward Blake Griffin (knee) in both of the first two games and got runover from the start in Game 1 before showing some first-half fight in Game 2, only to fall off the pace again in the second half. "Against a team like Milwaukee you have to do it for a longer period of time," Pistons coach Dwane Casey told reporters. "I think we extended it long enough. It showed in the third quarter. They scored 35 points to our 17. It was our Achilles heel tonight. Again, our challenge has been extending hard play, not getting bored with doing fundamentals, not getting bored kicking the ball out, doing those things offensively. Defensively, staying solid and making sure we execute what we need to do." Milwaukee is not getting too far ahead of itself even with the big wins in the first two games and is ready for the challenge of playing on the road. "We took care of business like we should," Bucks point guard Eric Bledsoe told reporters. "Now we're going on the road playing against a tough crowd and a tough team. We're going to go in, practice, and see what we can do better. We're looking forward to Game 3 in Detroit."
TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN, FS Detroit
ABOUT THE BUCKS: Superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is averaging 25 points and 14.5 rebounds in the series but is not a one-man show and got plenty of help in Game 2 from Bledsoe (27 points on 11-of-19 shooting) and Pat Connaughton, who came off the bench and poured in 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting. Connaughton added nine rebounds, four blocks and three assists in 31 minutes to help take the pressure off Antetokounmpo. "It's great when you have a little bit of pop off your bench," Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer told reporters of Connaughton. "I love the pop he gives us defensively. How many blocked shots did he have? He covers a lot of ground. He gets some great contests even when he doesn't block shots. I think he bothers shooters, and he's really great chasing and staying with guys. He mixes in making some threes and he's going to the basket and finishing."
ABOUT THE PISTONS: Griffin will be a game-time decision for Game 3 but is still making his presence felt in the series with a technical foul from the bench in each of the first two games. Detroit is looking for alternative scoring options with the All-Star sidelined and moved shooting guard Luke Kennard into the starting lineup for Game 2, from where he led the team with 19 points. "As a starter, you're expected to start the game off with a lot of energy, a lot of physicality, try to build a lead right away," Kennard, who scored 21 points off the bench in Game 1, told reporters. "I didn't feel any difference. Starting today or coming off the bench, either way is fine with me. Obviously, you have to get a lead or keep the score even. It was a thing where we wanted to create a little bit more space on offense. I thought we did that, and we got some good looks."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Pistons are shooting 37.7 percent from the field in the series.
2. Bucks PF Nikola Mirotic (thumb) totaled six points on 3-of-13 shooting in the first two games.
3. Detroit PF Thon Maker, who joined the team from Milwaukee in a deadline deal, is 4-of-19 from the floor and 0-of-9 from 3-point range in the series.