Pistons at Bucks
THE STORY: No Andrew Bogut, no problem. The Milwaukee Bucks shocked the Los Angeles Lakers 100-89 on Saturday without their starting center in the lineup. The Bucks will be without Bogut for at least three months after he suffered a broken ankle against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday. Drew Gooden stepped into the starting lineup and scored 23 points against Los Angeles. The Detroit Pistons play the second of a four-game road trip in Milwaukee on Monday. Detroit is 1-9 on the road, including a 95-74 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday. The Pistons are the worst offensive team in the NBA and are scoring only 81.4 points per road game this season. Detroit is 2-6 in its last eight games. Milwaukee beat visiting Detroit 102-93 on Jan. 12. The teams have split their last 10 meetings.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, FS Detroit, FS Wisconsin (Milwaukee)
ABOUT THE PISTONS (4-17): As bad as the Pistons are right now - they have lost four straight, the play of second-year center Greg Monroe has to have Detroit faithful feeling good about the future. The Georgetown product has posted three straight double-doubles and has had success against the Bucks this season. He scored a career-high 32 points in the first meeting with Milwaukee, and that was with Bogut guarding him.
ABOUT THE BUCKS (8-11): While losing Bogut is a huge blow to the Bucks' interior defense and rebounding, his absence has allowed Milwaukee to play a much more up-tempo offense. Gooden is able to run the floor quicker and the Bucks have scored 100 points in both games with Bogut on the sidelines. Milwaukee is second in the NBA in field goal attempts per game at 84.2 and took 92 shots in a 107-100 loss to Chicago on Friday.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. The Bucks lead the all-time series 116-98.
2. Milwaukee small forward Stephen Jackson will return to the lineup after serving a one-game suspension for verbally abusing an official. Jackson is averaging 12.8 points.
3. The Pistons are thin with Ben Gordon out with a shoulder injury, and Will Bynum, Austin Daye and Charlie Villanueva all listed questionable for Monday’s game.