Thursday 18 April 2019 09:33, UK
Giannis Antetokounmpo sparked a decisive run, scoring the first seven points of the second half, to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 120-99 win over the Detroit Pistons in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series on Wednesday night.
The top-seeded Bucks lead the best-of-seven series two games to none. Game 3 is scheduled for Saturday in Detroit, where the eighth-seeded Pistons will try to snap a 12-game postseason losing streak that dates back to 2008.
That's tied for the second-longest postseason losing streak in NBA history, behind only the New York Knicks' 13 consecutive losses from 2001-12.
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Antetokounmpo scored 13 of his 26 points during the third quarter in which the Bucks outscored the Pistons 35-17. He also grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds.
Eric Bledsoe scored a game-high 27 points while Khris Middleton added 24 points and eight assists for Milwaukee. Pat Connaughton came off the bench to collect 18 points and nine rebounds.
Andre Drummond racked up 18 points and 16 rebounds for the Pistons, who were again without Blake Griffin (sore left knee). Griffin has missed six of the past nine games dating back to the regular season.
Luke Kennard scored 19 points and Reggie Jackson added 18 points for Detroit.
The Bucks, who cruised to a 121-86 win in Game 1 on Sunday, got off to another quick start on Wednesday night, when they led by as many as 12 points in the first quarter. However, the Pistons outscored Milwaukee 32-20 in the second quarter and took a 59-58 lead into the half on Jackson's lay-up with 3.8 seconds remaining.
Antetokounmpo opened the second half with a lay-up before the Pistons took the lead again on a dunk by Drummond. Antetokounmpo's three-pointer on the next trip down the floor put the Bucks ahead for good.
The Pistons briefly pulled within single digits early in the fourth when Jackson's lay-up closed the Bucks' lead to 95-86 with 8:04 left, but Bledsoe ended any hope of a comeback by scoring the next six points.
Game 3 takes place in Detroit in the early hours of Sunday morning (1am).
