Detroit Pistons vs Milwaukee Bucks - NBA Cup Game Preview

Game Preview - Pistons vs Bucks 12/3/24

I will NOT be doing this for every game but considering the two days in between and the gravity of this game I thought it was worth trying a game preview (ALWAYS welcome feedback on my work so please let me know your thoughts in the comments or via email). I do not think it is hyperbole to say this is the most significant regular season game the Pistons have played since I have “covered” the team (December 2020) and I am fascinated to see how they perform. I will do this preview in three sections with my notes in each.

1. Overall Season Stats Outlook and Things to Watch

2. Previous Matchup Box Score and Things to Watch

3. My Previous Matchup Game Notes and Things to Watch

Overall Season Stats Outlook

VIA BBALL REF

DETROIT PISTONS

MILWAUKEE BUCKS

THINGS TO WATCH

• Bucks are now 5th in the NBA in 3P% and 12th in 3PAr which are both better than the Pistons and their 3P shot making seemed to really open things up for them in the last matchup

  • AJ Green and Taurean Prince have been lights out this year and Gary Trent Jr. has been shooting better

• Bucks being 7th in blocks per game…that level of rim protection is important to notice and something the Pistons have to be aware of

  • They either must find ways to draw fouls (something Milwaukee is decent at not doing, 12th in DEF FT/FGA) or be comfortable with attempts a touch further from the basket

• We know that turnovers are always a huge talking point with Detroit. The Bucks are fairly good in terms of TOV% BUT they are also bottom of the league in FORCING TOs. The Pistons have to do a good job of getting a shot on every possession…..

• BECAUSE Milwaukee is a pretty good defensive rebounding team and thus it could make it difficult to get second chance opportunities that way

• Finally, DO NOT GIVE UP OREBs!!! The Bucks are bottom two in the NBA in OREB% which means this should be a game where Detroit puts that top 10 DREB% on full display

Previous Matchup Box Score

VIA BBALL REF

THINGS TO WATCH

• How efficient can Cade be? As mentioned above, this Milwaukee team protects the rim and it took Cade 34 FGAs to get his 35 points with just 4 FTAs….this could be a game where his 3PAr is vital (5/10 previous matchup is awesome) AND the floater game

  • Similar idea for Jaden Ivey who did NOT play in the 1st matchup

• Speaking of Cade and Ivey….how does Milwaukee matchup?

  • I am assume Andre Jackson Jr. on Cade which means Ivey should immediately be aggressive attacking Damian Lillard

• I mentioned the Bucks 3P shooting already but they are one of the bottom 10 teams in opponent 3P% which we saw play out in the first matchup as well

  • Can Beasley stay hot and torch them again? Can THJ find his shooting stroke and be an impact after not playing in that earlier game?

• MULTIPLE NEW NAMES IN THIS GAME

  • Ivey, THJ, Fontecchio and AUSAR for the Pistons (Stew ejected)

  • Dame and Portis for the Bucks

• The TWO BIGGEST QUESTIONS DEFENSIVELY

  • Who guards Giannis and how do they stop him after the dominating performance last time?

    • Harris starts (was not what they did in the first matchup, see below), Stew CAN NOT take himself out of the game and sprinkle in some Ausar

  • How do they defend the PnP from Lopez AND Portis

    • More sense of urgency AND perhaps some hard hedging of ball screens

      • This puts the big defender in a tough spot BUT should also help with Damian Lillard pull up jump shots off those screens

My Previous Matchup Game Notes

I will be copying and pasting notes from the previous matchup and then giving some things to watch off of those

“Same thing we have talked about so many times, can you extend a lead and control a game during the MIDDLE portion….were up 18, down to 9 midway through the 3rd quarter, JB Timeout….”

• I think this is VITAL for them to win this game considering the closer the Bucks have in Dame

• IF, IF Detroit is able to get control of this game at any point watch how they handle that and if they are able to keep that control ATO and beginning of quarters

“So, in fairness, I mentioned last game I was not in the “vet PG” camp BUT this particular situation is where I do understand why people see the need for one….”

• This was mostly a note of reminder how depleted this team was in the first matchup and specifically with the ball handling duties when you do not have Cade and Ivey

“Easy to see early on in this game that you have to be neutral in the Giannis minutes and WIN the non Giannis minutes”

• They actually LOST the non Giannis minutes by something like 11 to end the 3rd quarter

• This won’t be as easy with Dame back but I still think it’s important to note whether they can assert their will when Giannis sits

“They actually put a little full court pressure on in certain situations and it pays off to start the 2nd half”

• Perhaps a strategy we see to try and slow the Bucks down, push them later into the shot clock and/or just wear them down in general to go along with offensive transition

“DUREN starts on Giannis (Harris on Lopez) which is an interesting matchup decision”

• Immediately got him in foul trouble which is why I do NOT think this is where they will go again

• I understand why it was the decision with Harris now being the one to contest Lopez PnP 3PAs….Duren simply has to be better in those situations on Tuesday night

“He (Cade) has been pretty aggressive with the pull up 3P early”

• Mentioned above but wanted to reinforce this could be a pull up 3P game for him

“HOLLAND doing a great job of simply running in transition and being aggressive”

• Not just specifically for the rookie but transition in general is an area where I think Detroit has an advantage…..they ARE the more athletic team, they have to find ways to use it like the full court pressure mentioned above

“Offense got some production from Lopez for a bit and now looks like their go to is having a wing set a middle ball screen for Giannis”

• WATCH FOR THIS ACTION FROM THE BUCKS….it gave the PISTONS FITS throughout the 2nd half of that game

“Timely 3P has truly been what has kept them in this game outside of the Giannis buckets”

• Again, mentioned above, but I think the Bucks non “big 3” have to be taken out of the game in terms of their 3P shooting

• The players NOT taking those primary matchups have to be ELITE off ball defenders being good helpers on Giannis and Dame but also not getting too far from their man to contest jump shots

“JACKSON JR. is EASILY their best perimeter defender”

• Is there a defensive strategy here to defend him the way some teams defend Ausar and Holland?

• An Andre Jackson Jr. 3PA seems like a lot better % play than anything that involves most of their other players….

• AND considering how good he is defensively it could perhaps “play him off the floor” giving Cade and Ivey easier offensive matchups