Milwaukee Bucks: 3 keys to victory on road against Detroit Pistons
The Milwaukee Bucks will search for their third straight victory when they visit the Detroit Pistons Wednesday night for the third time this season.
The Milwaukee Bucks have certainly gotten used to seeing the Detroit Pistons this 2020-21 season and will meet against them for the third time this season Wednesday night at Little Caesar’s Arena.
Now 7-4 on the season after their 121-99 victory over the Orlando Magic Monday night, the Bucks will look to continue their winning ways and establish some semblance of consistency while navigating through this uncertain season.
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They now face a Detroit Pistons team that fallen to 2-8 on the season following their 96-86 loss to the Utah Jazz from over the weekend.
Of course, the Bucks have gotten the better of the Pistons two times already this season with a pair of wins last week, but their season series now switches over to the Pistons’ premises in downtown Detroit.
So without further ado, let’s explore the three big keys that will be essential to a Milwaukee Bucks victory over the Detroit Pistons Wednesday night.
First key – Giannis Antetokounmpo continues mashing the Pistons
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s start to the 2020-21 season had his fair share of ups and downs, but he’s certainly found his groove as of late.
That all arguably started against the Pistons when he poured in 43 points, 30 of which came during the first half, of the Bucks’ 125-115 win over Detroit earlier this month. Antetokounmpo then followed that up with 25 points on 15 shots two nights later and hasn’t looked back when he’s been on the court.
Detroit has long, athletic defenders with size, headlined by Jerami Grant, that can fluster Antetokounmpo if need be. To this point, that hasn’t mattered much as Antetokounmpo has scored a combined 40 paint points in the Bucks’ first two matchups against the Pistons.
For that reason, we should expect to see a fair amount of zone defense from the Pistons as an effort to keep Antetokounmpo from getting downhill to the paint, among his other dominant qualities. Along with that, the personnel that Detroit has available, specifically with Blake Griffin in mind, will be key in giving a physical defender that will keep Antetokounmpo out of the paint.
We’ll just have to see how the Pistons will be able to keep the two-time MVP in check and how he’ll affect the game in other ways, along with being able to tear the Pistons’ interior defense in two whenever he touches the paint.