Bucks at Pistons
The Detroit Pistons ended a five-game losing streak with a win over the LeBron James-less Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday and will try to make it two straight when they host the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday. The Pistons put together their strongest defensive effort in weeks in the win and are hoping that carries over into the rest of the season.
"It’s amazing what you can do when you’re locked in mentally and you really make a great effort and those guys really did," Detroit coach Stan Van Gundy told reporters after Monday's triumph. "I was really happy with our defense today. I thought we worked hard." The Pistons allowed an average of 111.4 during their five-game slide after not surrendering 100 points in any of the previous seven contests. The Bucks just got through with a schedule quirk that saw them play home-and-home sets against the Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers and Washington Wizards in the last six contests and could stand to find their own consistency on the defensive end. Milwaukee breezed past Washington at home 123-96 at home on Friday but began its four-game road trip with a 107-102 setback on Monday.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee), FSN Detroit
ABOUT THE BUCKS (14-15): Milwaukee held a late lead before losing to the Cavaliers in overtime at home last week and squandered a 10-point, fourth-quarter lead in Monday's loss. "When it's crunch time and the game is on the line, we have to be better," Bucks center Greg Monroe told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "When we have the lead, we have to find ways to finish out the game with a win. I think the ball kind of sticks late. We have to do a better job of keeping it moving. That's when we're at our best. Then lock in on defense." Star small forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is doing his part and by averaging 28 points on 55.1 percent shooting, 10.1 rebounds and 5.8 assists in the last eight games.
ABOUT THE PISTONS (15-18): Detroit wants to be known for its defense and still leads the Eastern Conference with an average of 97.9 points allowed. The Pistons held Cleveland to 38 percent shooting on Monday while catching fire from long range with a 16-of-28 effort from beyond the arc. "It was good that the shots were falling, but even if shots aren’t falling we have to know as a team that our defense needs to fuel our offense and keep us moving from there," Detroit small forward Tobias Harris, who is 8-of-14 from beyond the arc in the last three games, told reporters.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Pistons finished one made 3-pointer shy of tying the franchise record of 17 on Monday.
2. Milwaukee PF Mirza Teletovic (concussion) sat out Monday and is day-to-day.
3. Detroit took the last four in the series, including a 98-83 win in the first 2016-17 meeting on Oct. 30.