Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 28 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and made eight assists, helping the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Detroit Pistons 128-107 on Tuesday night to move forward in the NBA in-season tournament.
Damian Lillard added 27 points and five assists, with the Bucks winning all four of their games in East Group B, securing a spot in the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup.
The Bucks also continued their strong performance against the Pistons, having won 11 straight games against them and 23 of the last 24.
Gary Trent Jr. scored 16 points, Bobby Portis and Taurean Prince each contributed 14, and AJ Green added 11. The Bucks made 23 of 41 three-point attempts in the game.
Cade Cunningham led Detroit with 23 points and six assists. Tobias Harris contributed 16 points and five rebounds, Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 15 points, and Jalen Duren added 11 points and six rebounds. Detroit had been undefeated in group play before this game.
Lillard scored 12 points in the first quarter, helping the Bucks take a 36-31 lead. Lillard’s layup at 8:05 in the second quarter increased Milwaukee’s lead to 50-38.
After Detroit cut the lead to six points, the Bucks finished the first half with a 17-4 run, leading 78-59. Prince scored eight points during this run, including two 3-pointers, while the Pistons committed five turnovers.
Milwaukee hit 15 out of 21 three-pointers in the first half. Lillard had 18 points, and three of his teammates scored 11 each. Harris led Detroit with 13 points in the first half.
Lillard started the second half by scoring the first four points, with a 3-pointer and a technical free throw.
When Lillard made another 3-pointer with 7:08 left in the third quarter, the Bucks’ lead grew to 97-72. The Bucks hit the 100-point mark when Prince made another three-pointer in the middle of the third.
At the end of the third quarter, the Bucks led by 22 points, with the score at 110-88.
