NBA Picks 12/03 – Pistons @ Bucks

By Thomas Quaynor for Wannamakeabet.com

The Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons (17-4) visit the Milwaukee Bucks (9-13) tonight in a battle of long-time division rivals. This is the second of four regular season meetings between the teams. Detroit picked up a 129-116 victory at Milwaukee on Nov. 22. Detroit shot a sizzling 63 percent from the floor in the win. The Pistons victory on Nov. 22 ended a 13-game losing streak to the Bucks. Detroit and Milwaukee will square off again in three days at Detroit. 

Detroit is a 3-point favorite and the total is 231.5.

WHAT BOTH TEAMS DID IN THEIR PREVIOUS GAME

Detroit held on for a 99-98 win against the visiting Atlanta Hawks on Monday night. With the game tied at 95 with under a minute left, Cade Cunningham hit a jumper and then a reverse layup left to give Detroit a 99-95 lead with 17 seconds remaining. 

Atlanta had a chance to win the game with 0.1 seconds left on the clock after Nickeil Alexander-Walker knocked down a three-pointer with 1.2 seconds left pulled them to within 99-98. Two missed free throws by Daniss Jenkins got the Hawks a final possession and a chance to win it, but Jalen Johnson was unable to convert a tip-in as time expired.

Pistons star center Jalen Duren finished with team highs of 21 points (9-12 FG, 3-4 FT) and 11 rebounds in the win. All-Star Cade Cunningham stuffed the stat sheet, amassing 18 points (7-15 FG, 0-4 3Pt, 4-4 FT), 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 6 steals and 3 blocks across 38 minutes. Ronald Holland II provided 17 points in 17 minutes off the bench. 

Milwaukee is coming off a stunning 129-126 loss at the lowly Washington Wizards (3-16) on Monday night. Milwaukee led by as many as 16 (81-65) midway through the third quarter before Washington rallied. Giannis Antetokounmpo’s layup gave the Bucks a 122-119 lead with 1:31 remaining in regulation. Washington then went on a 10-1 run to take a 129-123 lead with 4.1 seconds left to go and secured the victory.

Kevin Porter Jr. scored a game-high 30 points (12-15 FG, 5-6 3Pt, 1-2 FT) over 31 minutes in a losing effort. He added 5 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 steals. Giannis Antetokounmpo produced 26 points (10-17 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 6-11 FT), 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and a block over 32 minutes before fouling out in the final seconds. Milwaukee has lost 8 of their last 9 games.

GAME STORYLINES: DETROIT

Last season, the Detroit Pistons delivered one of the biggest turnarounds in NBA history going from 14-68 in 2023-24 to 44-38 in 2024-25. The 30-game improvement was the fifth-best single-season win improvement of all time. Detroit’s 44 wins last year was their most since 2016. The Pistons went on to lose 4-2 to the Knicks in a hard-fought, first-round series but they made tremendous strides last season.

The monumental turnaround and success of last season has carried over to this season for Detroit. The Pistons got off to a blistering 15-2 start this year and tied a franchise record with 13 straight wins from Oct. 29 through Nov. 14. Detroit’s 13 consecutive wins tied the 1989-90 and 2003-04 squads — the last two Piston teams to win the NBA championship. 

Detroit boasts a deep and versatile rotation of players but the catalyst for their success is the outstanding, young duo of superstar swingman Cade Cunningham (28.2 ppg, 9.3 asts, 6.5 rebs, 1.5 stls, 1.9 threes, 45.7 % from 2 in 18 gms) and emerging center Jalen Duran (19.6 ppg, 11.8 rebs, 1 blk, 66% from 2 in 18 gms). Cunningham and Duran are now one of the best tandems in the NBA.

After an injury-plagued first three seasons, the 24-year-old Cunningham registered a breakout campaign last year, averaging career-highs of 26.1 points and 9.1 assists. He was selected as an All-Star and named All-NBA for the first time in his career in 2024-25. Detroit selected Cunningham with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft (Oklahoma State) and he’s now performing like a franchise player.

The 22-year-old Jalen Duran is now experiencing a breakout season in year four. He’d been a very productive double-double machine over his first 3 seasons with Detroit, but he’s transformed himself into one of the better post players in the NBA due to his improved scoring. Duran has raised his scoring average by nearly 8 points going from 11.8 ppg to 19.6 ppg.

Veteran forward Tobias Harris (14.7 ppg, 5.2 rebs, 1.6 threes, 46% from 2 in 12 gms), sharpshooting swingman Duncan Robinson (12.6 ppg, 2.9 rebs, 1 stl, 3.1 threes, 40.1% from 3 in 20 gms), 22-year-old versatile wing Ausar Thompson (11.6 ppg, 6.1 rebs, 1.5 stls, 50.9% from 2 in 17 gms) and bruising forward Isaiah Stewart (9.9 ppg, 6.6 rebs, 1.9 blks, 52.3% from 2 in 18 gms) are all key contributors for Detroit. 

GAME STORYLINES: MILWAUKEE

In 2021, superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo — who was 26-years-old at the time — led the Milwaukee Bucks to the NBA title. It seemed destined that the uniquely talented ‘Greek Freak’ would bring more postseason success/NBA titles to Milwaukee for the foreseeable future. But the subsequent four seasons brought a lot of disarray and disappointment instead of success. The Bucks lost in 7 games to the Boston Celtics in 2022, and followed that up with three consecutive first round exits.

Injuries for Giannis Antetokounmpo and his co-stars Kris Middleton and Damian Lillard doomed Milwaukee in the playoffs over the past four seasons. Middleton missed 10 of 12 games in the 2022 postseason. Giannis only played in 2 full games in Milwaukee’s 4-1 first round upset loss to the 8th seeded Miami Heat in 2023, and he missed the entire 2024 postseason — a 4-2 loss to Indiana in the first round. Last year, Damian Lillard tore his Achilles in Game 4 of Milwaukee’s first round series against Indiana. 

Milwaukee’s postseason failures have led to bad feelings and upheaval in the franchise as they’ve fired two coaches (Mike Budenholzer and Adrian Griffin), traded key players (Kris Middleton and Damian Lillard) and are contemplating trading Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Giannis trade speculation has intensified this season due to Milwaukee’s recent slide where they’ve lost eight of their last nine games. The New York Knicks is supposedly the desired destination for Giannis if he’s traded. 

Despite the lack of team success, Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to produce at an elite level in his 13th NBA season. The 30-year-old, two-time MVP and 9-time All-NBA superstar is averaging 30.6 points, 10.7 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1 block and 1 steal while shooting 63.9 percent from the floor across 16 games. Antetokounmpo is on pace to average at least 30 points and nearly 11 rebounds for a fourth straight season.

Milwaukee point guard Ryan Rollins has seemingly come out of nowhere to become a very good player this year. The 23-year-old Rollins barely played during his first 2 seasons in the NBA (2023 and 2024) after being drafted in the second round of the 2022 NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks. He ran into legal issues — was charged with shoplifting from Target in January 2024 — as a member of the Washington Wizards. The Bucks picked up Rollins in February 2024 after the Wizards waived him.

Ryan Rollins has ignited his career with Milwaukee since signing a two-way contract with the team in February 2024. He averaged 6.2 points per game across 56 appearances in his first full season with Milwaukee last year. Milwaukee signed Rollins to a three-year, $12 million back in July. With a fully guaranteed multi-year deal in tow, Rollins has upped his scoring average to 17.7 points per game this season. If Milwaukee ends up trading Giannis Antetokounmpo at some point this year, Rollins could become a foundational building block for the future.

Milwaukee signed talented big man Myles Turner to a four, $107 million contract as a free agent last July. He was expected to give the team a boost on both ends of the floor due to his excellent three-point shooting and shot-blocking. Unfortunately, Turner’s presence has not translated into wins for the Bucks. The 30-year-old, Texas product is averaging 12.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, 1 steal, 2.3 threes while shooting 43.2 percent from the floor and 39.8 percent from beyond the arc. 

Myles Turner’s numbers are down slightly from what he posted for most of his 10-year tenure with the Pacers but his ability to knock down three’s and fill the stat sheet on defense makes him a valuable asset on most nights.

THE PICK: PISTONS (-3)

Detroit is the best team in the Eastern Conference, while Milwaukee has lost 8 of 9. Rumors are also swirling that Giannis Antetokounmpo is becoming increasingly frustrated with the team. The Pistons ended their 13-game losing streak against Milwaukee when the teams first met 11 days ago (Nov. 22). I expect them to take care of business tonight and hammer a reeling and distracted Bucks team. Lay the Points and take the Pistons