The lead of Group C of the NBA Cup was at stake last night in Detroit, but the stakes of the match quickly took a tangent, the fault of a Milwaukee team in great shape, which pocketed its seventh victory in a row.
Detroit created an illusion in the first quarter before imploding during the following period, overwhelmed by the efficiency of the Bucks in attack, particularly at 3-points. It must be said that the Pistons were struck by lightning since after 17 minutes of play, Doc Rivers' troops had already compiled an improbable 10/15 at 3-points after the arrow launched by Bobby Portis (41-53). Very complicated to compete in these conditions, especially since AJ Green, Damian Lillard, Taurean Prince twice, and Brook Lopez continued this festival until the break, concluded by a dunk from the hyperactive Giannis Antetokounmpo (59 -78).
Milwaukee never gave up. Worse, Damian Lillard resumed the match by slamming two more baskets behind the arc, while the “Greek Freak” put the interiors of Detroit to torture with four baskets and four free throws to drive home the point after five minutes of play in the third quarter (72-97). Giannis Antetokounmpo ended the quarter by delivering his 8th assist for AJ Green's 3-pointer, already the 19th for the Bucks in 30 attempts (88-110)!
Enough to prevent a possible heat stroke from the Pistons which did not arrive during the last twelve minutes, allowing the Bucks of the Lillard-Antetokounmpo tandem (27 and 28 points to win 128 to 107.
WHAT TO REMEMBER
– Milwaukee qualified, Detroit eliminated. Both teams knew the stakes of the match, the winner was propelled to the quarter-finals of the NBA Cup, with the advantage of receiving, while the loser was exposed to the result of the match between Orlando and New York. The Bucks did the job and therefore reached the final stages. Unfortunately for the Pistons, the Knicks' easy victory over Orlando eliminates JB Bickerstaff's lineup.
– 3-pointers like it was raining. Like a dream, the Bucks showed great efficiency behind the arc, hitting shot after shot very early in the match, until the collective euphoria infected all members of the squad. For three quarters, Doc Rivers' team sailed beyond 60% success, before slowing down a little in the last act to finish at 23/41 (56.1%). Special mentions for AJ Green and Taurean Prince, respectively at 3/3 and 4/4, without forgetting Damian Lillard's 5/11 in the exercise.
– Giannis Antetokounmpo to finish off the Pistons. Already relegated to 19 points at the break, the Pistons remained powerless against Giannis Antetokounmpo's show of force after the break. Author of 17 of his 28 points in the third quarter, the “Greek Freak” continued his flawless performance by going up to a perfect 10/10 shooting before his first miss. Unleashed, he especially caused an ordeal for the Pistons defense, and especially Isaiah Stewart, who did his best to contain him but who ended up with six personal fouls even before the start of the last quarter.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
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