NBA Matchups – Detroit Pistons vs. Milwaukee Bucks First Round Playoff Preview

The Milwaukee Bucks are at the top of a top-heavy Eastern Conference and their first-round playoff series with the Detroit Pistons doesn’t appear to be a fair fight. Behind MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks started fast and never let up, posting a NBA-high 60 wins, the first time the club reached that number since 1981.

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It’s been a playoff-like atmosphere for several weeks as the Pistons fought for the eighth-seed. They’ll have to continue with that intensity to have any chance of beating the league’s best team.

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No. 8 Detroit Pistons vs. No. 1 Milwaukee Bucks

Series Schedule:

Game 1: Pistons at Bucks, Sunday, April 14, 2019, 7 p.m. ET (TNT)

Game 2: Pistons at Bucks, Wednesday, April 17, 2019, 8 p.m. ET (NBATV)

Game 3: Bucks at Pistons, Saturday, April 20, 2019, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Game 4: Bucks at Pistons, Monday, April 22, 2019, 8 p.m. ET (TNT)

Game 5: Pistons at Bucks, Wednesday, April 24, 2019 (If Necessary)

Game 6: Bucks at Pistons, Friday, April 26, 2019 (If Necessary)

Game 7: Pistons at Bucks, Sunday, April 28, 2019 (If Necessary)

Series Price at BookMaker.eu: Check Back Later

Now that the Bucks are here what can they do to advance further? Milwaukee ended the regular season 19 games better than the Pistons in the standings and swept the four-game season series winning both home matchups each by 23 points.

There was some concern over the health of Antetokounmpo, who missed three of the final six regular season games to rest his sore knees, calf, and ankle. And to show just how important the Greek Freak is, the Bucks lost all three games. The additional down time helped in the recovery, and that’s bad news for the Pistons. Giannis had eye-popping number with 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game, and on many nights was a one-man wrecking crew.

The Bucks enjoyed good health for most of the season, but things started to catch up with them in the second half. Giannis missed time, Malcolm Brogdon is still out with a foot injury, Tony Snell twisted his ankle and Nikola Mirotic broke his thumb. The former is out for likely this series while the latter two are expected to see action at some point against the Pistons.

None of the injuries affected the offense, which was one of the most efficient during the regular season. The Bucks led the league in scoring with 118.1 points per game, they had the third best field goal percentage and their offensive rating of 113.5 was fourth-best. All five starters average at least 12.5 points per game, including Brogdon though he’s been shelved since the middle of March.

With Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin, the Pistons attack teams from the inside out. Drummond is going to be a handful inside and Brook Lopez will have the job of containing Detroit’s big man. Griffin is still the acrobatic player he was during his time with the Clippers, though he’s also been dealing with knee issues, and the Pistons can’t afford to have their top offensive threat at less than 100 percent in this series.

Detroit’s up and down season is linked to its inconsistent guard play. The Pistons are a massive longshot to win the series, but they can steal a few games if their perimeter players knock down some shots. Griffin and Drummond will pack the paint creating open looks for Reggie Jackson, Ish Smith and Wayne Ellington. Making those shots is another story as all three of those guys are connecting on around 42 percent of their field goals.

One thing we overlook is just how good Milwaukee is defensively. Antetokounmpo gets the ink for his scoring and highlight reel dunks, but the Bucks hold opponents to a league-low 43.3 field goal percentage, and they are the highest rated defensive team in the NBA.

Pistons vs. Bucks Free Picks

Playing as a favorite to win the East is an awkward position for the Bucks and how they handle it will tell us if they are a contender for the title. I don’t foresee them having any problems getting past Detroit, but there will be stiffer competition in the later rounds. It would behoove Milwaukee to end this series as soon as possible to get Giannis and the rest of the team an additional day or two to rest up. And besides, the Bucks are just flat out better.

Pistons vs. Bucks Series Pick: Bucks in 4 Games

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