The Damian Lillard-less Milwaukee Bucks played an intense interconference contest against the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday. It looked as if Milwaukee was going to fall short after a last-second foul call gave Detroit a chance to win, but fate was on Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks' side.
The few final minutes of regulation went back and forth on Wednesday, but Detroit got the final possession when the game was tied 111-111. The Pistons drew from their game-tying lob layup from Tuesday's Miami Heat win, and Cade Cunningham threw a pass to Ron Holland in an attempt to pull off the same move on the Bucks.
Antetokounmpo met Holland at the rim in what looked like a clean block, but referees called a foul on the star forward. Fortunately, Holland missed both of his free throws, and the game went to overtime. That did not stop the Bucks from taking a supposed jab at the officials though:
“Ball don't lie,” the Bucks posted on their official X (formerly Twitter) account on Wednesday night.
The Bucks put on a strong showing in OT and eventually won the game 127-120. Giannis Antetokounmpo put up a rare stat line of 59 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists, three blocks, and two steals on 61.8 percent shooting from the field and 94.1 percent (16-for-17) on his free throws.
Antetokounmpo willed the Bucks to victory, but he was not the only one who had a standout performance. Brook Lopez totaled 29 points, eight rebounds, three steals, and a whopping five blocks. In addition, he nailed five of his nine three-point attempts.
The Bucks improved their record to 4-9 with their win over Detroit. Hopefully, the victory will spur some much-needed momentum to Milwaukee amid their slow start to the season. The Bucks are showing they have it takes to overcome their woes and climb their way back up the Eastern Conference standings.