AJ Green fired on all cylinders Thursday night at Fiserv Forum. The Milwaukee Bucks claimed a 117-111 preseason victory over the Detroit Pistons.
The first quarter set a fast pace. Milwaukee grabbed a slim 33-31 edge after trading blows with Detroit.
Cade Cunningham wasted no time for the visitors. He tallied nine points early, including a deep three off a Duncan Robinson assist.
AJ Green countered sharply for the home side. He dished two assists to Kevin Porter Jr. and Bobby Portis, knotting the score at 11-all.
Gary Trent Jr. splashed a triple to push Milwaukee ahead 9-8. Portis then sank a turnaround jumper for a 4-5 lead.
Detroit’s Isaiah Stewart drew a foul on Turner but missed both free throws. Ausar Thompson grabbed offensive boards but couldn’t convert tip-ins.
Milwaukee closed strong. Cole Anthony hit free throws to tie it at 25-25, then Taurean Prince drained a three for a 28-28 deadlock at the horn.
The second quarter exploded into a shootout. Detroit surged to a 41-27 frame, grabbing a 72-60 halftime bulge.
Cunningham dominated with 17 points in the period. He added seven in a row, including a technical free throw and a driving layup.
Paul Reed sparked the Pistons’ bench. He scored nine points, blocking shots and grabbing six rebounds.
Milwaukee fought back late. Green buried a 26-footer off Trent’s assist, trimming the gap to 68-57.
Trent Jr. sank three free throws after a Thompson foul. Klintman tipped in a miss at the buzzer for Detroit’s final push.
Giannis Antetokounmpo sat out with a coach’s decision. Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren, and Tobias Harris also dressed but saw DNP minutes.
The third quarter flipped the script. Milwaukee outscored Detroit 29-17 to seize a 101-89 lead.
Green heated up again. He drained three free throws after a Robinson foul, then splashed two threes for 19 points total.
Anthony added nine points off the bench. He hit a pull-up three and a driving layup to fuel the rally.
Detroit’s Thompson notched 11 points. He tipped in his own miss and drew fouls for freebies.
Robinson contributed seven points. He cut for a layup but turned it over twice in crunch time.
Milwaukee’s bench depth shone. Chris Livingston drew fouls for key free throws, while Prince added nine points on threes.
The fourth quarter stayed tense. Detroit clawed within one at 107-106, but Milwaukee pulled away.
Tolu Smith scored five late for the Pistons. He hit a layup and free throw after a goaltending call.
Livingston led the Bucks’ reserves with nine points. All came from the line after fouls by Bobi Klintman and others.
Ryan Rollins tallied seven points before fouling out. Thanasis Antetokounmpo blocked a Jenkins layup in the final seconds.
Green finished perfect at 5-for-5 from deep. He led Milwaukee with 22 points and three assists in 22 minutes.
Cunningham paced Detroit with 26 points and six assists. Thompson added 11 points and five rebounds.
Milwaukee shot 50% from the field and 50% from three. Detroit hit 45.3% but committed 14 turnovers.
The Bucks improved to 2-0 in preseason. Detroit fell to 1-1 ahead of their next tune-up.
