Major Key For Detroit: Search Out Open Threes
The Detroit Pistons need an edge to beat the Bucks on Friday. Milwaukee has every reason to try hard to win games from here on out–there’s still a very real possibility of the Bucks snatching the fifth seed in the East away from the Atlanta Hawks.
That edge could come from beyond the arc. The Pistons are not a terrific shooting team–actually, they’re pretty dang bad at most things involving three-point shooting. Detroit is 27th in three-pointers made, 25th in three-pointers attempted and 28th in three-point percentage.
In the rare games where the Pistons have made a good percentage of their threes, things have gone well for Detroit. Three-point shooting helps teams win, wow, what a surprise. Anyway, the Pistons are 7-0 when they shoot 45 percent or better from beyond the arc, and 13-3 when they hit at least 40 percent of their triples.
The one thing working against this major key is that Reggie Jackson has been sidelined with an apparent knee injury, and might not play again this season. Jackson is one of the Pistons’ best three-point shooters, and not having him makes it less likely Detroit will bury a lot of threes.