Embattled Pistons face tall task at Bucks

The Detroit Pistons are banged up and saddled with a five-game losing streak. The last thing they need is a matchup against a Central Division opponent that has dominated them in recent seasons.

Alas, that's the Pistons' plight as they visit Milwaukee on Wednesday night.

Detroit had seven players sidelined by injuries or illness on Monday when it faced a fully healthy Golden State squad. The Pistons hung around until the late stages before succumbing, 120-109.

Starting center Jalen Duren missed the game due to ankle soreness, and key reserves Joe Harris and Jaden Ivey also sat out.

"I'm proud of the way we competed (Monday) with all these guys out," coach Monty Williams said.

Without Duren, the Pistons had just seven offensive rebounds, compared with 17 for the Warriors.

"That was pretty much the game," Williams said. "We held them to 29 percent on 3s and they only had 21 free throws. If you are playing Golden State, you take that, but they took advantage of all those extra opportunities."

The Pistons have lost 17 of their past 18 meetings with the Bucks, including Milwaukee's four-game series sweep last season.

A bright spot was two-way player Stanley Umude, who came off the bench and contributed 15 points, including four 3-pointers.

"It meant a lot to me because it showed that (Williams) was watching me and he cared about what I was doing, no matter what my contract situation is," Umude said.

"It meant a lot for me just going into the game with focus. It's not even about making shots. It's just about being ready to play, being ready to help the team in any way I can."

The Bucks have won their past two games, including a 129-125 thriller at Brooklyn on Monday. As usual, Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way. He had 36 points and 12 rebounds.

Damian Lillard was limited to 21 points while shooting 5-for-15 from the field. He added seven assists and only committed one turnover.

As the score would suggest, the Bucks had difficulty guarding the Nets. Brooklyn scored 67 first-half points.

"All their guards are fast, explosive and they're 3-point threats as well. It presented some matchup difficulties for us just for the size and quickness," coach Adrian Griffin said. "These type of games build character and I thought our guys stepped up big time."

Antetokounmpo also noted that the defense needs work, though the offense was humming as the Bucks shot 47.9 percent from the field.

"I hope we can be better defensively," Antetokounmpo said. "I feel like our gaps wasn't tight. Guys felt comfortable going one-on-one and getting to the rim, drawing fouls. Our help defense has got to be better.

"Offensively, I think the second unit did a great job just moving the ball, playing fast, getting open looks. And down the stretch I feel like Dame, me and Khris (Middleton) and our shooters were ready to play, ready to close out the game. So, there was a lot of good things that we did, there was a lot of things that we've got to get better on."

Following Wednesday's contest, Milwaukee plays six of its next eight games on the road.

--Field Level Media