Detroit Pistons: 3 takeaways as team cruises past Milwaukee Bucks
By Travis Gibbs
The Detroit Pistons did a lot of things right in their 110-87 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. Stanley Johnson and Langston Galloway bounced back while defense became a point of emphasis.
The Detroit Pistons made a statement in their victory last night over the Milwaukee Bucks. It looked like a lot of frustration was relieved from their previous three games. The Pistons beat the Bucks 110-87 on their home floor at Little Caesars Arena.
The first quarter looked shaky at the midway point. The Bucks were getting shooting at a high percentage and getting the ball into the paint with ease.
Anthony Tolliver sparked his team with consecutive three-point makes that tied the game at 29 to end the first quarter. The Pistons trailed by as much as nine before that.
They never really looked back after that point. The Pistons took a nine-point halftime lead over the Bucks and continued to build on it in the second half.
Stanley Johnson led in scoring for the Pistons with 19 points. Eric Bledsoe led the Bucks with 19 points.
Here are my takeaways from this game.
1. Stanley Johnson responds
Players tend to take it personally when they get pulled from the starting lineup in any sport. That either leads them to respond in a big way or it negatively impacts their performance further.
James Ennis III started in place of Stanley Johnson who had been struggling in the last few games.
Johnson responded in a very big way for the Pistons last night.
He was a staggering +36 in his 30 minutes of action. That means he was creating opportunities for everyone on the floor with him and playing effective defense.
Johnson also had six rebounds and four assists to go with his 19 points.
Does head coach Stan Van Gundy keep having him come off the bench after this? Or does he place him back into the starting lineup?
I say do whatever you can to get the most out of him. That is the type of play that the Pistons need from Johnson if they have any intentions of making it to the postseason.
2. Langston Galloway puts in meaningful minutes
Langston Galloway‘s 23 minutes is the most he’s played since January 17th. He made the most of his opportunity and proved something to Van Gundy in the process.
Galloway scored 13 points while shooting 55 percent from the field and 50 percent from three-point range. He provided scoring off the bench that the Pistons have been desperately missing over their last few games.
Will this be a sign of things to come? There’s no way to tell. Galloway’s minutes have been inconsistent as of late so we might not see much of him in their next game.
3. Defense! It works when you try it!
The Detroit Pistons held the Milwaukee Bucks to just 87 points on 38 percent shooting from the floor. This is a team that averages nearly 106 points per game.
The more important statistic was Milwaukee’s underwhelming 33 percent shooting from three-point range. The Pistons inability to step out and defend the perimeter crushed them in their three-game losing streak. Last night was much better.
I mentioned in my preview that the Pistons needed to contain the trio of Bledsoe, Khris Middleton, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. They held these three players to just 47 points.
The Bucks’ big three makes up 60 percent of their scoring at around 64 points per game.
Great job by the Pistons defensively.
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What’s next?
The Detroit Pistons travel to Orlando to play the Magic. They play tomorrow at 7:00 p.m. from the Amway Center. The Magic are 18-43 and just 11-18 at home this season. This will be a game the Pistons need to capitalize on if they want to a playoff spot.