Pistons cough up 18-point lead in OT loss to Bucks as Giannis Antetokounmpo scores 59

MILWAUKEE — When the league released the schedule for the 2024-25 season, nearly everyone expected the Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks to be on opposite sides of the spectrum. The Bucks came into the season with championship aspirations while the Pistons appeared to be on the verge of another poor campaign.

However, when the Pistons walked into Fiserv Forum with a better record Wednesday night, it seemed as if the script had been flipped. In the first half, the Pistons showcased why they had been the better team through the first 12 games.

But a subpar third-quarter performance led to the Pistons giving up an 18-point lead en route to a 127-120 overtime loss to the Bucks. Milwaukee scored 38 points during the period and outscored the Pistons by 14 to power the comeback.

Brook Lopez's 3-point field goal gave the Bucks an 85-84 advantage at the end of the period, which also marked Milwaukee's first lead of the night. Lopez was vital in the Bucks' win with 29 points, eight rebounds and five blocks. However, Giannis Antetokounmpo had one of the best performances of his career, with a season-high 59 points (21 of 34 overall, 1 of 2 from 3), 14 rebounds, seven assists, three blocks and two steals.

The Pistons and Bucks played each other close throughout the fourth quarter. An alley-oop between Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren tied the game at 108 with a minute left. Shortly after, a triple by Taurean Prince gave the Bucks a 111-108 lead with 52 seconds remaining. On the next possession, Marcus Sasser drilled a clutch 3-pointer to even the score at 111.

A missed 3-pointer by Prince left 1.2 seconds, and coach J.B. Bickerstaff called a timeout. He drew up another alley-oop inbound play for Cunningham to orchestrate, but he failed to connect with Ron Holland II. The officials called Antetokounmpo for a shooting foul, but Holland was unable to secure a victory by missing a pair of free throws.

The Bucks jumped out to an 8-0 run to gain an early advantage in overtime. Cunningham finished with a season-high 35 points to go with 11 assists and seven rebounds.

Antetokounmpo began the night by scoring 22 points during the first quarter, but Detroit established its dominance.

Malik Beasley made his first start in the absence of Jaden Ivey, who was one of five players sidelined due to an injury. Beasley torched his former team by scoring 14 of his 26 points during the first half, which led to the Pistons holding a 60-47 lead.

Holland also played a vital role in helping the Pistons secure a double-digit lead in the first half, scoring nine points. He finished with 11 points, three rebounds and a steal in his first career start. Holland started in place of Tim Hardaway Jr., who suffered a head injury in Tuesday's overtime win against the Miami Heat.

The Pistons became even more shorthanded following Isaiah Stewart's premature exit. At the 3:02 mark of the third quarter, Stewart received a flagrant 2 foul and ejection after pulling Antetokounmpo to the ground by the back of his jersey.

Up next

The Pistons will continue their three-game road trip on Friday night against the Toronto Raptors. The game will mark the second of Detroit's four-game in-season NBA Cup tournament in group play. Tipoff between the Pistons and Raptors is slated for 7 p.m. at Scotiabank Arena.