Andre Drummond’s 20-20 powers Pistons past the Bucks, 98-83

The Pistons were able to defeat the Bucks due to strong efforts from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Andre Drummond. Andre Drummond had the 10th 20-20 game of his career, and KCP dropped 21.

This was one of those games that the Bucks were able to hang around through most of it, but it never really felt like the Pistons were going to lose.

The Pistons won on the strength of their defense and transition offense. When the Pistons settled into their half-court offense, they tended to struggle.

It was great to see KCP bounce back as he had struggled with his shooting in the first two games of the season. He was able to score 21 on 7-for-13 shooting, including 2-5 from 3.

On a less bright note, the Pistons point guards struggled with ball security. Ish Smith and Beno Udrih came into this game with only two combined turnovers through the first two games. They combined for nine giveaways against the Bucks. Smith had four and Udrih had five. Their struggles with turnovers are a big reason for the poor showing in the half-court offense.

It was by no means a dominant performance by the Pistons like their previous game in Orlando. However, a win is a win especially when you are playing without your starting point guard.

The Pistons (2-1) will resume play on Tuesday against the New York Knicks.