Pistons vs. Bucks GameThread: Game Time, TV, Odds, and More

It’s hard to see how the Detroit Pistons could wrestle away a win from the superior Milwaukee Bucks. The Pistons are dealing with a raft of injuries that have saw multiple potential starters and a handful of rotation players show up in street clothes. Crucially, it’s nearly all of the team’s most reliable shooters. That has led to some mish-mashed lineups, some spurts of quality play followed by sputtering, and way too much resting on the shoulders of guys like Cade Cunningham as a heliocentric hub, Killian Hayes as a perimeter shooter, and Marcus Sasser as a sixth man who needs to deliver efficient offense.

The injuries have gotten so bad that the Pistons needed to finally open up the check book and sign a free agent, bringing back Kevin Knox to serve as what I imagine will be an instant rotation piece while all these other players are injured. It should be noted that Knox shot the ball reasonably well in Detroit last season. I should also note that when you’re looking at the addition of Knox as an instant-impact player, you’re in some pretty deep waters.

At some point, reinforcement will arrive, and we will have a better sense of whether this team makes sense and can be competitive night-in and night-out. For now, maybe we need to root for an actual wrestling match. Maybe Isaiah Stewart can get under a couple Bucks’ players’ skins and all of the sudden they are without Giannis, Brook and Dame.

Then, maybe, just maybe, Detroit has a chance to win.

Game Vitals

When: 8 p.m. ET
Where: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Watch: Bally Sports Detroit
Odds: Pistons +12.5

Projected Lineups

Detroit Pistons (2-6)
Cade Cunningham, Killian Hayes, Ausar Thompson, Isaiah Stewart, Jalen Duren

Milwaukee Bucks (4-2):
Damian Lillard, Malik Beasley, Jae Crowder, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez