Giannis Antetokounmpo had 31 points, Jrue Holiday hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer in the final minute and the host Milwaukee Bucks remained the NBA’s only unbeaten team by downing the Detroit Pistons 110-108 on Monday.
Holiday finished with 25 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds as the Bucks defeated their Central Division rival for the 14th time in the last 15 regular-season meetings. They’ll play again in Milwaukee on Wednesday.
Brook Lopez supplied 24 points and nine rebounds, while Bobby Portis added 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Bucks.
Cade Cunningham’s 27 points, seven assists and six rebounds led the Pistons, who were playing the tail end of a back-to-back.
Bojan Bogdanovic had 23 points, Jaden Ivy tossed in 19, Hamidou Diallo chipped in 13 and Isaiah Stewart added 11 points and 11 rebounds for Detroit.
Holiday scored 13 points in the opening quarter as the Bucks grabbed a 34-23 lead. Milwaukee maintained a double-digit advantage most of the second quarter before an 8-3 Pistons spurt pulled them within 60-52 by halftime.
Saddiq Bey scored six points when Detroit opened the second half with a 9-2 run to cut the Bucks’ lead to 62-61.
Antetokounmpo then went on a personal 8-0 run. A 9-2 Milwaukee spurt midway through the quarter extended its lead to 82-67. Lopez had six points during that stretch.
Detroit cut its deficit to 11, 88-77, by the end of the quarter. Ivey’s three-point play in the first minute of the fourth made it an eight-point game.
The Pistons soon cut it to two at 92-90 with an 8-0 run, capped by a Bogdanovic layup. Holiday prevented Detroit from taking the lead by knocking down his team’s first 3-pointer of the half.
Lopez drained another long ball with 4:11 remaining after Detroit cut Milwaukee’s lead to two again.
Antetokounmpo made a fadeaway jumper with 2:07 to go for a 105-101 advantage. Ivey answered with a pair of free throws.
After the Bucks failed to score on their next possession, Stewart tied it with a layup.
Holiday responded with a 3-pointer from the wing. Cunningham missed an elbow jumper but Antetokounmpo committed a turnover. Cunningham then missed a long 3-point try and Lopez made two free throws to clinch Milwaukee’s victory.
–Field Level Media
