Pistons vs. Bucks final score: Pistons forget to play defense, get blown out by Bucks 119-94

It looked like the Pistons were getting back on track after a close loss to the Golden State Warriors and a blowout of the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, this is the 2016-2017 Detroit Pistons that we are talking about, and doing the things that are working well on a game-to-game basis is too difficult for them.

The Pistons out-rebounded the Bucks 44-38 and ended the game with 28 assists, but their defense was absolutely disgraceful. The Bucks did not score less than 28 points in any quarter and shot 57 percent from the field and 50 percent from beyond the arc. They also dished out 36 assists, which is a new season high against the Pistons.

The Pistons hung around in the first, as they were only down 31-28 at the end of the quarter. However, the defense was not good and it never really looked like the Pistons were going to put up a legitimate fight.

The Pistons allowed 31 points in the 2nd quarter as well and were down 62-54 at halftime. The Pistons laid down and died in the 2nd half. They actually gave up less points than they did in the 1st half, but they Bucks imposed their will and were able to get whatever they wanted in the paint.

The Pistons stopped moving the ball and stopped making open shots, and the blowout ensued.

Jabari Parker and Giannis Antetokounmpo were able to get whatever they wanted all night. They combined for 54 points on 21-36 shooting.

Tobias Harris was once again fantastic off the bench. He finished with a double-double with 23 points and 12 rebounds on 9-15 shooting. However, he was absolutely terrible defensively. Everybody on the team was, so I am not trying to point the finger at any one player.

There is only so much that this team can blame on the lineup. This roster has some serious flaws, and these players need to start looking themselves in the mirror and deciding if they want to be good. Nothing is handed to you in this league, and just because you were a playoff team last year doesn’t mean you can just go through the motions.

This team has shown what they are capable of doing against the Warriors and Cavaliers. However, they have given no signs that they can do it against the teams that they are fighting with for the playoffs. That is not good and is a disgrace to all the fans who support you on a daily basis.

Rant over.

The Pistons will face the Atlanta Hawks on Friday. Atlanta is another struggling team, so something will have to give.

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