Milwaukee Bucks: 3 takeaways from 110-101 victory over Detroit Pistons

The Milwaukee Bucks picked up their third straight victory Wednesday night as they took care of business over the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesar’s Arena.

The Milwaukee Bucks broke out their brooms Wednesday night as they beat the Detroit Pistons 110-101 at Little Caesars Arena to take their three-game season series.

In a wire-to-wire victory, the Bucks held control over the contest over the Pistons and built up extended leads throughout the night. Their highest lead came midway through the second quarter where Milwaukee led 52-29 with 4:49 to go in the first half.

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Detroit certainly bounced back from that point on and tried to pressure the Bucks’ control of the lead throughout the night and just like they had in their pair of games in Milwaukee. No matter the case, the Bucks held on all throughout and dispatched the Pistons for their third victory over their central division rival in a span of nine days.

So without further ado, let’s dive deep into what all stood out the most in the Milwaukee Bucks’ victory over the Detroit Pistons Wednesday night.

Takeaway no. 3 – The Bucks’ bench continues to step up

As Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer dipped into his reserves after the Bucks got off to a hot start, their reserves kept pouring it on early on in the first half.

Bobby Portis led the charge and quickly reached double digits early in the second quarter for the 10th time this season. Bryn Forbes took the baton quickly thereafter as he chipped in some threes and reached double digits himself.

With Portis and Forbes leading the way with their scoring and Pat Connaughton rising up to go 3-for-5 from deep, the Bucks’ bench played a big part in the team finishing the night going 19-for-43 from long distance. Milwaukee’s bench contributed nine of those triples between those three aforementioned players, along with D.J. Augustin.

All in all, the Bucks’ bench put up 39 points on the night, which falls in line with their season average three weeks into their run this season. And as the season goes along, the Bucks continue to find their strength in numbers.

Takeaway no. 2 – Jrue Holiday’s effortless brilliance

For as dominant as the Bucks had been over the Pistons for various stretches last night, Jrue Holiday still served as the Bucks’ closer in the fourth quarter.

Holiday had picked his spots on offense over the first three quarters, but this was his turn to take over and led to a 7-0 run by the veteran point guard that gave the Bucks a 99-82 edge with 7:47 to go in the fourth. Holiday then followed that up by sinking in a tough fadeaway rainbow shot over Pistons forward Blake Griffin a couple of possessions later.

Along with his poised tough shotmaking skills, the 30-year-old put in another strong shooting outing from three by pouring in three triples. Holiday all of this while toggling between different defensive assignments, whether it was guarding the Pistons’ depleted backcourt or even limiting Griffin with plenty of aplomb.

All in all, Holiday finished with 21 points on 8-for-13 shooting (3-for-5 from deep, 2-for-3 from the foul line), six rebounds, five assists, three steals and a block in nearly 37 minutes of run.

It’s been only 12 games into Holiday’s Bucks tenure, but he has stood as the team’s metronome on both ends of the floor. We’ll continue to look forward to seeing how everything comes together for Holiday and the Bucks as the year goes along.

Takeaway no. 1 – Giannis Antetokounmpo picks up second triple-double of season

Perhaps he was pacing himself, but Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo certainly stuffed the stat sheet in the Bucks’ win over the Pistons.

While Antetokounmpo wasn’t attacking or even getting downhill for his minutes in the first half, he was picking out Bucks shooters and teammates with pinpoint passes that certainly beefed up his assist total on the night.

Eventually, the two-time MVP was attacking the basket with ease after halftime and it helped buoy the Bucks as they clicked into several gears throughout the second half. It took until the 1:17 mark in the fourth period for Antetokounmpo to complete his triple-double, which marks the 20th triple-double of his illustrious NBA career.

Antetokounmpo posted 22 points on 7-for-15 shooting (2-for-5 from three, 6-of-10 from the free throw line), 10 rebounds, 10 assists, three blocks and a pair of steals in 33-and-a-half minutes of burn.

The 26-year-old Greek superstar has certainly found his rhythm after a rocky start and it’s played a huge part in the Bucks gaining more consistency 12 games into the season.

The Bucks will look for their fourth straight victory Friday night when they take on the Dallas Mavericks at Fiserv Forum.