Four different Detroit Pistons racked up double-doubles in their previous game, a convincing win over the Orlando Magic. Will Brandon Jennings and company continue the same kind of balanced firepower when they take on the Milwaukee Bucks this coming Saturday? Or will the Bucks end their skid?
In another intriguing NBA matchup this Saturday, the Washington Wizards pay the shorthanded Portland Trail Blazers. Read a preview of that game here.
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Detroit Pistons vs. Milwaukee Bucks Betting Preview
Detroit continues to thrive following the team’s move to cut Josh Smith last December and Wednesday’s 128-118 victory over the Orlando Magic is just another proof how well-oiled the Pistons are these days.
[sc:NBA240banner ]Arguably, no Piston other than Greg Monroe has reaped bigger dividends from Smith’s departure. In 15 games since that surprising front office decision, Monroe has put up 16.0 PPG and grabbed 11.9 RPG. Monroe is currently on a mean three-game streak of double-double performances, the last being a 24-point, 10-rebound performance against Orlando. Along with Andre Drummond, the Pistons should be able to dominate the glass again versus Milwaukee. In the Pistons 98-95 win over Milwaukee on November 7, the Pistons outrebounded Milwaukee, 40-35.
Drummond is the second-best rebounder in the NBA with 13.1 boards per game. As a team, the Pistons are second in the league with 45.8 RPG.
The Pistons are also getting a lot from the terrific play of Brandon Jennings, who played out of his mind in the Orlando game, scoring 24 points and recording 21 assists. Jennings is Detroit’s top scorer with 15.4 PPG to go with also a team-best 6.7 APG.
The Pistons are 7-3 over their last 10 games overall.
Another close loss has sent the Bucks sliding down to below .500 again. After losing to the Toronto Raptors 92-89 on Monday, Milwaukee was dealt a 101-99 loss by the Utah Jazz on Thursday. The Bucks will now look to punctuate their four-game home stand with a victory against Detroit.
The Bucks were hammered hard by the Jazz’s sharpshooters, who made 14 triples on 31 attempts. Milwaukee will have to find a fix to that problem as the Pistons are entering Saturday’s ball game fresh off knocking down 10 treys off 21 tries (41.7%) against Orlando. In their first meeting, Detroit was 11-for-23 from beyond the arc.
Despite the struggle against Utah, the Bucks remain one of the best defensive teams in the league. They are allowing only 97.2 PPG to their opponents, mostly because the Bucks play great on-ball defense and are very active in the passing lanes. Milwaukee, which is third in the NBA in steals with 9.5 per game, had 11 swipes against Utah and nine against Toronto. Employing the same kind of pressure to Jennings will go a long way for the Bucks in slowing down the Pistons’ offense.
Without Jabari Parker, who top scored for the Bucks against Detroit early this season with 18 points, the Bucks should see Brandon Knight to shoulder most of the scoring load. Knight is averaging 18.2 PPG, while adding 5.1 APG. The Bucks, however, has a dependable bench to pick up the scoring cudgels when Knight and the rest of Milwaukee starters take a breather. In fact, Milwaukee’s bench is second in the league on offense with 43.5 PPG.
The under is 9-1 over the Bucks’ last 10 games overall.
