The struggling Milwaukee Bucks face a tall task to get back on track as they host the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night.
Just 11 days will separate matchups between these teams after Detroit handled the Bucks 129-116 in Milwaukee on Nov. 22. They will also face off in Detroit on Saturday night.
That win for Detroit was No. 12 of 13 in a row before they dropped back-to-back games against Boston and Orlando. Since then, they’ve won two straight one-possession games — 138-135 at Miami on Saturday and 99-98 over Atlanta at home on Monday.
Pistons star Cade Cunningham shined late against the Hawks, scoring eight of his 18 points in the final 3:21. Jalen Duren led Detroit with 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the floor while Ronald Holland II added 17 off the bench.
“(Cunningham has) developed in understanding and a belief, the timing and rhythm of when,” Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “Time and time again, he does the job when we need him to do it most. He embraces that role and he loves to do it for us.”
Cunningham has excelled for Detroit in his fifth season by averaging 28.2 points and 9.3 assists per game. Duren adds 19.6 points and a team-high 11.8 rebounds.
Milwaukee, which has lost eight of its last nine games, is coming off perhaps its most disappointing loss of the season. The Bucks held a 16-point lead in the second half at Washington but fell 129-126 to the three-win Wizards.
Kevin Porter Jr., who left midway through the fourth with back spasms, led Milwaukee with his first 30-point game since 2023. Giannis Antetokounmpo didn’t quite exert his typical dominance but added 26 points on 10-for-17 shooting.
“I didn’t think we played right. They had 18 more shots than us,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. “We played so well the other night (in a 17-point win over Brooklyn), then tonight, I felt frustrated the entire night. We played like we thought we were gonna win the game.”
It was only Porter’s third appearance after he left Milwaukee’s season opener nine minutes in with a sprained ankle and missed 19 games. He’s been a jolt for the Bucks, averaging 17.7 points and 4.3 assists in limited minutes.
Antetokounmpo leads the squad with 30.6 points, 10.7 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game. Ryan Rollins adds 17.7 points, 5.8 assists and 1.6 steals.
On the injury front, Porter is listed as day-to-day. Gary Harris (Achilles) missed Monday’s game and is also day-to-day. Taurean Prince (herniated disc) is out indefinitely.
Duncan Robinson (ankle) is day-to-day for Detroit and did not play Monday.
The Pistons snapped a 13-game losing streak against Milwaukee the last time they played. Detroit looks to clinch at least a split in the four-game season series for the first time since the 2017-18 campaign.
