A strong team balance helped anchor the Detroit Pistons to their 124-112 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. Detroit had seven different scorers contribute double-figure points in their victorious effort, as they remain in first place in the Eastern Conference at 19-5. All-Star point guard Cade Cunningham explained why he believes wins like these are so valuable for the Pistons.
“These are the best [wins] where we move the ball around, and everybody gets a piece of the action. Everybody just played a great brand of basketball. We had a lot of turnovers in the first half; we cut that down in the second half. That was the change in the game for us,” Cunningham explained to the media.
“These are the fun ones, [when] everybody gets in on it. Everybody can score the ball. We have a lot of depth, so it’s easy for guys to put the ball in the rim, it’s just about us following the game plan and getting each other shots.”
Detroit led by as many as 27 points against its division rival opponents. They managed to share the ball efficiently on offense with 31 assists on 43 made field goals. Milwaukee ran a zone defensively against Detroit, and they still managed to find holes to take advantage. Their ball movement helped add to their quality shooting night as they shot 50 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from 3-point range.
The Pistons faced the Bucks this past Wednesday with similar circumstances. Milwaukee drew up its zone defense again to limit Detroit's paint production. The Pistons found a way to correct the mistakes made from the previous game by attacking the gaps of the defense and moving fluently with and without the ball.
Cunningham led with another double-double, finishing with 23 points and 11 assists. He took care of the ball effectively by only turning the ball over only three times.
Forward Isaiah Stewart started for injured veteran Tobias Harris, who was dealing with an ankle injury. Stewart picked up the slack offensively for the Pistons by scoring 19 points in 25 minutes. Center Jalen Duren continued his impressive breakout play with a double-double of his own, scoring 16 points and grabbing 16 rebounds.
Jaden Ivey continues slow progression
The Pistons continue to slowly work shooting guard Jaden Ivey back into their rotation. He remains on a 15-minute playing restriction and is finding ways to stay productive in his role off the bench.
Ivey has been one of the most prominent scorers for the Pistons over the past several seasons, but is not immediately pressing to try and get back in that groove. He finished against the Bucks with 10 points off the bench with five rebounds. Ivey has remained patient with his offensive attacking and is playing within the flow of the team more. Pistons' head coach J.B. Bickerstaff shared his views on the adaptation of the first-round shooting guard.
“It’s continued growth. I can’t say it enough, but what he’s doing is difficult. To go 11 months without playing an NBA game and then coming back and having to play at NBA speed in the middle of the season is just not easy. But again, he’s a guy who’s embraced the challenge,” Bickerstaff explained.
“He’s going out there and competing with his teammates. His teammates love having him out there…The minute restriction isn’t easy on him; trying to play in small doses, trying to catch a rhythm and find a rhythm. But I think he’s doing a great job of it. He made big shots in the fourth quarter to help us stretch that lead out. You see the confidence coming back in all his abilities.”
