Milwaukee Bucks: Takeaways from 104-100 win over Detroit Pistons

The Buck stops here (in the third)!

The Bucks played excellent basketball for three-quarters on Wednesday, and even with one-quarter of bad basketball, they were able to come away with the victory. Still, there is no other way to describe the third quarter except for bad basketball.

The Bucks went into halftime with a nine-point lead, by the end of the third it had dissipated and the game was tied again. Some of the comeback can be attributed to Detroit feeling their back was against the wall making a push to keep the game within reach, but mostly it was due to sloppy play by Milwaukee, which resulted in only 16 third quarter points.

Turnovers were the main problem for the Bucks who coughed it up six times in the third, more than the rest of the game combined. No offense is going to succeed with six turnovers in a quarter and holding the Pistons to only 25, despite the constant fastbreak opportunities, is what allowed Milwaukee to win this game.

Although it’s a cliché and coach speak, teams rarely play four quarters of consistent basketball. What’s more important is limiting the times in which you do not play well, and maximizing the times you do. Milwaukee did this against the Pistons and that is why they were able to get the W.