Pat Connaughton picked the perfect time for a career night, exploding for 43 points to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 140-133 overtime victory over the Detroit Pistons in Sunday’s regular season finale. The veteran guard added 11 rebounds as Milwaukee (48-34) extended its winning streak to eight games heading into their first-round playoff series against Indiana.
With both teams resting most starters, Connaughton seized the spotlight by shooting 16-of-29 from the field, including five three-pointers.
The game featured wild momentum swings, including Detroit erasing an eight-point deficit in the final 15 seconds of regulation. Lindy Waters III forced overtime with a clutch three-pointer with 1.9 seconds remaining.
Kyle Kuzma provided early fireworks for Milwaukee, scoring 22 points in just 12 minutes before sitting the rest of the game. Tyler Smith (20 points) and Pete Nance (19 points) also set career highs for the Bucks’ deep reserves.
Detroit (44-38) saw six players reach double figures, led by Malik Beasley’s 23 points on 7-of-11 shooting from deep. The Pistons’ sharpshooter finished the season with 319 three-pointers, just one behind NBA leader Anthony Edwards.
Detroit’s Bobi Klintman (15 points) scored his first points in the NBA while Tolu Smith (14 points, 8 rebounds) made his debut.
