The Pistons are on the road for this one as we get warmed up in preseason. Heading to Milwaukee, Detroit picked up a solid win against the Grizzlies earlier this week. The Bucks are coming off a win themselves, taking down Miami without Giannis. We’ll see how these teams look tonight as we get our second glimpse of both.
Jalen Duren Questionable
Colby Jones Out
Giannis Antekounmpo Questionable
Cole Anthony Questionable
After a major off-season, the Bucks' team looks very different from last season's start. Losing Middleton for Kuzma midway through the season, then waiving Lillard, makes their roster seem somewhat odd. They did add Myles Turner to replace Brook Lopez, who also left in free agency during the off-season, but overall, this might be one of the weakest rosters around Giannis. Their lack of star power is painfully obvious, as the backcourt feels assembled haphazardly. Not saying Trent and Porter can’t be good, but relying on them as full-time starters on a team with real playoff aspirations feels like a lot. Still, with Giannis, any team has a chance.
For Detroit, their off-season was relatively quiet. They added a few players like Duncan Robinson and Caris LeVert but didn’t make any major moves. The biggest change to the lineup has been the return of Jaden Ivey. He had a slow start against the Grizzlies, but having his scoring ability back in the starting five should be significant. Overall, this team looks dangerous in the East. They might not be a title favorite, but they will be tough to beat every night. With Cunningham coming off his best season, the sky is the limit for this team.
This matchup is going to be hard to call. We still don’t know if we’ll have Giannis at all this game, but even with him, I like Detroit here. They have a strong selection of scoring guards they can throw at Milwaukee’s backcourt. Even the Detroit bench looks scarier than Milwaukee's, with Rob Holland, LeVert, Robinson, and Paul Reed getting solid minutes in their last game. Compared to what Milwaukee was putting out in the second half of their last game, Detroit has a clear advantage. That’s why I’m going with the Pistons’ moneyline tonight, along with the under on the 222.5 points total, and the Detroit -3.5 spread.
Money line: DET (-166) / MIL (+140)
Total Points: 222.5
Spread: -3.5 DET (-112) / +3.5 MIL (-108)
With Ivey back, I expect the Pistons to give him some solid minutes tonight. He only played 14 minutes in their first preseason game, but facing the weak backcourt of Milwaukee, I think he might get some extra run. If he can get closer to 20 minutes tonight, he should be within striking distance of 12 points. Especially with Ivey’s downhill ability, he should be able to work his way to the rim or the line plenty.
Kuzma may have struggled offensively against Miami in the Bucks' first preseason game, but he was all over the boards. He finished that game with 8 defensive rebounds. With Giannis out that game, the boards were basically open for Kuzma to grab. If Kuzma is in a similar situation tonight, he shouldn’t have any trouble snagging 6 rebounds.