Pistons news: Blake Griffin admits free-throw disparity doomed Detroit in Game 4 vs. Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks completed a four-game sweep of the Detroit Pistons in their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series on Monday night, coming away with a 127-104 win at Little Caesars Arena. After the game, Pistons big man Blake Griffin said that the free-throw disparity was a big reason why his team lost Game 4: “That was the story,” said Griffin, via Ben Golliver of The Washington Post. “Giannis (Antetokounmpo) shooting eight more free throws than our entire team is not going to win a game like that. Some of that is on us but some of that is a little out of our control. That messed up the flow.” Overall, the Bucks took 41 free throws as opposed to just 12 for the Pistons, which prompted the Detroit fans to chant “refs, you suck.” At one point in the first half, Griffin even joined in on the chant. Griffin, who missed Games 1 and 2 of the series due to a knee issue, finished with 22 points, six assists and five rebounds in 28 minutes before fouling out. He went 8-of-15 from the floor and buried four 3-pointers. Reggie Jackson led the Pistons with 26 points, and Andre Drummond added 15 points and 12 boards. Meanwhile, Antetokounmpo poured in 41 points for Milwaukee, going 12-of-23 from the floor and 15-of-20 from the free-throw line. Khris Middleton contributed 18 points. The Bucks shot 54.4 percent as a team while the Pistons made just 41.0 percent of their field goal attempts. Milwaukee will now move on to face the Boston Celtics in the second round of the postseason.

Blake Griffin admits free-throw disparity doomed Pistons in Game 4 vs. Bucks