Central Division foes will collide when the Detroit Pistons (36-34) challenge the Milwaukee Bucks (30-40) at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Action begins at 7:30 pm ET on Monday, Mar. 21 and can be seen on FxD and FWi.
The Pistons enter this game hoping for similar success after topping the Nets 115-103 on Saturday. Stanley Johnson was a key piece with 10 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. The Bucks, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 94-85 loss against the Jazz on Sunday. Jabari Parker led the game in scoring with 19 points.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has upped his play for the Bucks, averaging 18.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, 9.0 assists, 1.4 steals, and 2.4 blocks over the past five games.
The Pistons could dominate the offensive glass in this matchup, as they’re ranked second in the league in offensive rebound percentage at 27.1%. Alternatively, Milwaukee ranks 30th in the NBA on the defensive backboards with a defensive rebound percentage of 72.5%.
The Pistons lead the season series against the Bucks two games to one, including a 102-91 win the last time these two teams met. Reggie Jackson had a stellar game with 22 points, two rebounds, eight assists, two steals, and one three-pointer.
The Pistons come into this game 36-34 Straight Up (SU) and 35-32-3 Against The Spread (ATS). They have the same record SU and ATS against divisional opponents, going 4-7. The rebounding edge goes to the Pistons in this matchup, who are one of the top rebounding teams in the league with an average of 46.1 boards per game. Crossing over to the defensive end of the court, the Pistons prevent teams from making three-pointers, ranking second in the league with 500 total three-pointers allowed (7.0 per game).
As for their opponent, the Bucks have a record of 34-34-2 ATS and 30-40 SU. Against fellow division members, Milwaukee has a 7-6 SU and ATS record. The Bucks convert their shots at a high percentage, ranking fifth in the league at .465. Milwaukee is the second-best team in the league at scoring points off turnovers with 19.0 per game.
In their previous meeting this season, Detroit beat Milwaukee, bringing the head-to-head record to an even 5-5 SU over the last 10 meetings. The Bucks lead the matchup ATS with a record of 7-3.
Predictions: SU Winner – Det
Notes
“Detroit is 2-3-1 ATS in its last 6 games “.
“The total has gone OVER in 5 of Detroit’s last 6 games “.
“Detroit is 4-1-1 ATS in its last 6 games at home”.
“Detroit is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home”.
“The total has gone OVER in 5 of Detroit’s last 5 games at home”.
“Detroit is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Milwaukee”.
“Detroit is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Milwaukee”.
“Detroit is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games when playing at home against Milwaukee”.
“Detroit is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Milwaukee”.
The Bucks currently sit below 0.500 against the Central Division at 4-7 SU, and the Pistons have a 7-6 SU record.
Both Milwaukee and Detroit rank zeroth in points per game and points allowed per game respectively. Milwaukee scores 0.0 points per game, while Detroit gives up 0.0.
Milwaukee and Detroit are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per away game and points allowed at home respectively. Milwaukee puts up an average of 0.0 points on the road, while Detroit gives up 0.0 points at home on average.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Bucks are 17-7 on the season. When the Pistons score fewer than 100, they are an abysmal 7-23.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Bucks are just 13-33 this season. Detroit is a winning 29-11 when registering triple digits.
The Bucks have an offensive rating of 103.0 (ranked 21st), while the Pistons rank 14th for their defensive rating of 104.0.
Milwaukee has an average field goal percentage of 46.5% (ranked fifth). Detroit is a poor 12-22 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
Detroit averages 26.0 three point attempts per game, and Milwaukee attempts 15.0 per game. In games where the teams have 25 or more three point attempts, the Pistons have a 21-23 record while the Bucks are winless at 0-3.
Detroit has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.48 this season (ranked 24th). Milwaukee ranks higher with an A/TO of 1.58 (ranked 17th).
The Detroit Pistons are one of the top rebounding teams in the league with an average of 46.1 per game (ranked fourth). The Milwaukee Bucks are one of the worst rebounding teams with 41.7 rebounds per game (ranked 26th).
The Pistons and the Bucks are well matched when it comes to rebounding. Detroit is ranked 13th in defensive rebounding, and Milwaukee is also ranked 13th in offensive rebounding.
Milwaukee is one of the top teams in forced turnovers, with opponents averaging a TOV% of 15.5% (ranked sixth). Detroit has a subpar record of 4-12 SU this season when its TOV% reaches 15.5% or greater.
