The Detroit Pistons will be at the BMO Harris Bradley Center to play a divisional foe in the Milwaukee Bucks. Action gets underway at 8:30 pm ET on Saturday, Feb. 27 and will air on FxD and FWi.
The Bucks were beaten by the Celtics 112-107 on Thursday. Greg Monroe had a good outing for Milwaukee, contributing 20 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. The Pistons, meanwhile, are coming off a 111-91 win over the 76ers on Wednesday. Tobias Harris led the game in scoring with 22 points on 9-for-12 shooting.
Over the last five games, a number of players have been better than usual for the Bucks. Jabari Parker has led the way, averaging 21.0 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 0.8 steals. Giannis Antetokounmpo (19.0 PTS, 11.2 REB, 5.6 AST, 1.0 STL, and 2.2 BLK) and Khris Middleton (19.6 PTS, 4.2 REB, 6.4 AST, 3.2 STL, 0.6 BLK, and 1.4 3PM) have also played lights out. Reggie Jackson has also been on a tear in the same span, averaging 22.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.2 steals, and 2.2 three-pointers while leading the Pistons.
Detroit could own the offensive glass in this matchup, as it ranks second in the NBA in offensive rebound percentage at 27.3%. Conversely, Milwaukee places 29th in the league on the defensive backboards with a defensive rebound percentage of 73.0%.
The two teams have split their matchups this season. The Pistons had the upper hand in the most recent game, a 102-95 win. In the victory, Jackson led all scorers on the team with 23 points.
The Bucks enter the game with records of 24-34 Straight Up (SU) and 29-28-1 Against The Spread (ATS). Over their last 10 games, they have only managed a record of 3-7 ATS. Milwaukee is one of the league’s top scoring teams off turnovers with an average of 18.5 points per game.
Across the court, the Pistons have 29-29 SU and 29-27-2 ATS records. Detroit has records of 4-4 SU and ATS against the Central. The Pistons have controlled the glass with an average of 46.5 rebounds per game, fourth in the league. Detroit’s defense tends to perform poorly when they play division rivals. They’ve allowed an average of 108.4 points per game against teams from the Central, higher than their season average of 100.7. The Pistons allow very few three-pointers on defense with 7.0 given up per game. One advantage for the Pistons could be Milwaukee’s high fouls per game average of 22.5.
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 hold the advantage ATS with a record of 7-3.
Predictions: SU Winner – Det
Notes
Milwaukee ranks 24th in points per game with 98.7, while Detroit ranks 10th in points allowed with an average of 100.7 given up.
Milwaukee ranks 21st in points per home game with 101.6 points, while Detroit ranks 13th in points allowed on the road with 102.0.
In its last game, Detroit won by a 20-point margin. Milwaukee is 2-10 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Detroit has a 7-2 record in blowouts.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Pistons are 21-8 on the season. When the Bucks score fewer than 100, they are a poor 9-23.
Detroit is a losing 8-21 when it gives up 100 or more points. Milwaukee has a 15-11 record when it puts up triple digits.
The Bucks have a defensive rating of 106.0 (ranked 22nd), while the Pistons rank 21st for their offensive rating of 102.6.
The Milwaukee Bucks have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking sixth in the league with a FG% of 46.2%. When their opponents record a similar or higher FG%, the Detroit Pistons have a poor 9-19 record.
Milwaukee attempts an average of 15.0 three pointers per game, and Detroit attempts 26.0 per game. In games where the teams have 25 or more three point attempts, the Bucks are winless at 0-3 while the Pistons have an 18-20 record.
The Milwaukee Bucks, with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.55, rank 18th in the NBA. The Detroit Pistons have a lower A/TO (1.41), ranking 24th.
The Detroit Pistons are one of the best rebounding teams in the league, earning 46.5 rebounds per game (ranked fourth). The Milwaukee Bucks rank 25th, rebounding 42.1 times each contest.
The Detroit Pistons are the top offensive rebounding team in the league, while the Milwaukee Bucks rank 29th in defensive rebounding.
Milwaukee is one of the top teams in forced turnovers, with opponents averaging a TOV% of 15.1% (ranked seventh). Detroit has a poor record of 7-12 SU this season when its TOV% reaches 15.1% or greater.
