Milwaukee Bucks: 3 takeaways from 121-86 Game 1 win over Detroit Pistons
The Milwaukee Bucks opened up their first round series with the Detroit Pistons with an overwhelming rout that helped them to take Game 1 at Fiserv Forum.
Sending out quite the message, the Milwaukee Bucks completely steamrolled the Detroit Pistons in Game 1 of their first round series Sunday evening at Fiserv Forum, winning 121-86.
The Bucks started out their wire-to-wire victory by getting out to a double-digit lead three-and-a-half minutes into the opening quarter. Detroit’s sluggish start continued during the remainder of the period and the Bucks cruised to a 38-18 advantage through one.
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Milwaukee’s firepower was dampened a bit in the first several minutes of the second quarter, but the Pistons weren’t close to threatening their control of the contest.
Before long, the Bucks’ offense awakened in the final minutes of the first half to give them a 70-43 lead heading into halftime.
The Bucks continued to suffocate the Pistons on both ends of the floor once play began in the second half, eventually raising their gaudy lead into the 40-point range around the four-minute mark of the third quarter.
Detroit chipped slightly into their overwhelming deficit, but the Bucks held a 97-61 lead at the end of three.
With the game clearly in hand, Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer turned to his end of bench players to put on the finishing touches of their dominant win to log the third-highest margin of a playoff victory in franchise history as Ben Golliver of the Washington Post noted after the game.
The Milwaukee Bucks' 35-point margin of victory in 121-86 Game 1 win over the Detroit Pistons is the third-largest in the franchise's postseason history, and the largest since a 50-point win over the San Francisco Warriors in 1971. pic.twitter.com/SQQw0KhgSx
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) April 15, 2019
So without further ado, let’s dive into what stood out in the Bucks’ emphatic Game 1 victory over the Detroit Pistons Sunday night, starting with the play of superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.