DETROIT – The No. 6 seed Detroit Pistons are in NBA playoff mode. They overcame a 13-point deficit to take down the No. 3 seed New York Knicks 115-106 in a potential first-round matchup.
The victory moves them two games back of No. 5 seed Milwaukee Bucks, who dismantled the New Orleans Pelicans 136-111 inside Fiserv Forum, extending their current winning streak to six consecutive games.
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With the Bucks’ (46-34) win on Thursday (April 10) and the Pistons’ comeback victory, both teams will play in a home-and-home split to end the regular season, with Detroit hosting Milwaukee on April 11 inside Little Caesars Arena in front of a raucous crowd.
With a victory, the Pistons would move one game back of the Bucks, making their road game on April 13 for all the marbles, well, at least for the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference.
Series
The Pistons are 0-2 this season against the Bucks, losing their first matchup 127-120 in an overtime thriller on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024.
The Pistons dominated most of the game, taking a 60-47 lead into halftime.
The Pistons got up as much as 65-47 in the third quarter before the “Freak Show” began as Giannis Antetokounmpo rallied the Bucks to end the quarter with an 85-84 lead.
SLAM Magazine cover athlete Cade Cunningham tried to withstand the massive run, but the Pistons trailed 100-93 with 5:40 to play in the fourth quarter.
Pistons guard Marcus Sasser made a three-pointer to tie the game at 111-111 with 26.1 seconds left, but the key moment of the game was when rookie Ron Holland II got fouled on an inbounds alley-opp by Antetokounmpo with one second remaining in the game.
All the rook needed to do was knock down one free throw, and the game was over.
Instead, the pressure got to him as he nearly air-balled the first free throw before bricking the second to send the game into overtime.
Antetokounmpo ended the game with 59 points, 14 rebounds, and seven assists, while Brook Lopez dropped 29 points and eight rebounds as the Bucks finished overtime on a 16-9 run to take a 127-120 victory.
Cunningham dropped 35 points, 11 assists, and seven rebounds, while Malik Beasley added 26 points and 10 rebounds in the heartbreaking loss.
In the rematch, Detroit was able to hold Antetokounmpo to 28 points, but All-Star guard Damian Lillard, who didn’t play in the first matchup, helped lift the Bucks advance in the NBA Cup, dropping 27 points inside Little Caesars Arena for a 128-107 victory.
The Bucks won East Group B with a 4-0 record, while Detroit was eliminated from the NBA Cup, falling to 3-1 in the tournament as Cunningham scored 23 points, Tobias Harris scored 16 points, Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 15 points, while, Jalen Duren dropped 11 points in the loss.
Friday
Coming into Friday’s (April 11) matchup, both teams looked to be heading in opposite directions as the Pistons, although they beat the New York Knicks, have lost four of their last six games, falling two games back of the Bucks.
Meanwhile, Milwaukee is riding a six-game winning streak without Lillard, who has been ruled out for the remainder of the regular season after receiving a blood clot diagnosis. However, according to reports, he is expected to return for the playoffs.
Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said it’s important to be playing well before entering the postseason.
“It’s important to be playing well regardless of the results, we want to be playing good basketball. I don’t think we’ve played our best these past couple of games.
Obviously, we’ve had some so rotational things and guys being out, but wanting to get the group back together and letting them get comfortable and let them get confident.
But, it’s important for us to be playing well as we go into the post season."
Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff
The Pistons seem to be finding their footing as they’re getting healthier, as Harris returned from a heel injury to help them take down the Knicks 115-106 in a potential NBA Playoff matchup.
Detroit received some promising injury news also as it was announced on Thursday that point guard Jaden Ivey, who has been out since Jan. 1, 2025, when he broke his left fibula, has been cleared for basketball activity and will now enter the beginning phase of a reconditioning progression.
Oddsmakers have the Pistons as 5.5-point favorites, but that’s why they play the games, as Antetokounmpo and the Bucks will look to extend their winning streak up to seven while locking down the No. 5 seed.
Look for fans to be very into the game as they’ll look to cheer the Pistons to victory.
Tipoff is at 7 p.m. inside the LCA.
And yes, although both teams would be tied at 46-36, the Pistons would likely hold the tiebreaker based on their record against Eastern Conference opponents.