Milwaukee Bucks vs. Detroit Pistons 12/17/18: Starting Lineups, Matchup Breakdown, Odds, Daily Fantasy, Betting
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Detroit Pistons Preview
The Detroit Pistons (14-13) find themselves above the .500 mark with a big win over the Boston Celtics, essentially putting a halt to the Celtics eight-game winning streak with a 113-104 victory at home. But the challenges don’t stop, as they’ll welcome in the Milwaukee Bucks (19-9) who are tied for second in the Eastern Conference.
The Pistons are hoping to start a streak tonight at home, where they have been 10-6, after erasing their six-game skid against Boston. During that losing streak, the Pistons lost to Milwaukee in a 92-115 blowout. Milwaukee has had to endure a few speed bumps in their last ten, losing four times, but they won their last game against Cleveland. In that game, Giannis Antetokounmpo had a standout performance with 44 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists, which was analyzed in our Daily MVP Film Breakdown.
TV Schedule
Date: 12/17/18
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Arena: Little Caesar’s Arena, Detroit, MI
Channel: FSWIS, FSD
Milwaukee Bucks Starting Lineup
| Position | Starter |
|---|---|
| PG | Eric Bledsoe |
| SG | Malcolm Brogdon |
| SF | Khris Middleton |
| PF | Giannis Antetokounmpo |
| C | Brook Lopez |
Bucks Analysis
The Bucks have dropped games to the Pacers and Warriors recently, but they also had a key win against Toronto to move up the Eastern Conference rankings. As noted Antetokounmpo had one of those milestone games against the Cavs, but he also got some help.
Eric Bledsoe, who has been a thorn in the side of the Pistons, finished with 16 points and six assists. Brook Lopez had 19 and five, and Ersan Ilyasova came off the bench for 11. Considering that was without the services of starters Malcolm Brogdon and Khris Middleton, the win was definitely not a given.
Giannis, however, will have a bit of a tougher matchup tonight. While Griffin and Drummond cannot keep up with his speed, having two rim protectors on the floor at the same time may make him shoot more jumpers than he’d like.
Point guard George Hill, who the Bucks traded for in a three-team deal, has made a couple appearances since the trade. He has already earned the respect of several of the players and is slowly getting acclimated to the team and his teammates. Head coach Mike Budenholzer, who was on the coaching staff in San Antonio where Hill started his career, feels like the IUPUI alumn can bring some leadership and veteran savvy to the team. He struggled offensively against Cleveland, but was able to pick up six rebounds, showing his new team the kind of all-around effort they can expect.
Bucks Quick Links: Bucks Starting Lineup, Bucks Roster, Bucks Depth Chart, Bucks Injuries, Bucks News, Bucks Schedule
Detroit Pistons Starting Lineup
| Position | Starter |
|---|---|
| PG | Reggie Jackson |
| SG | Langston Galloway |
| SF | Bruce Brown Jr. |
| PF | Blake Griffin |
| C | Andre Drummond |
Contents
Pistons Analysis
The Pistons got a big lift from their big man combo of Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin against the Celtics. They took advantage of the Celtics not having the services of Al Horford and used that to their advantage. Drummond had a monster 19 point, 20 rebound, five block night, and Griffin chipped in 27 points and eight rebounds.
The Pistons were also able to get small forward Reggie Bullock back, who scored 15 points, including four three-pointers. Having Bullock back with Kennard in the backcourt gives the Pistons floor spacers, allowing Drummond and Griffin to work inside, while point guard Reggie Jackson also like to drive. Now he has the options to dish off to his shooters and hand the ball off to a screener if he’s guarded heavily on the drive.
As head coach Dwayne Casey has said, the Pistons haven’t done anything yet, but they seem to have the tools needed to compete in the middle of the pack in the Eastern Conference. If they can get past the Bucks tonight, they’ll have a slightly lighter schedule ahead with games against Minnesota, Charlotte, Atlanta and Washington.
Pistons Quick Links: Pistons Starting Lineup, Pistons Roster, Pistons Depth Chart, Pistons Injuries, Pistons News, Pistons Schedule
Bucks vs. Pistons Betting Odds
The Bucks opened up and have remained -3.5 point favorites to take the win on the road tonight. The over/under is set at 222 points and there has been no movement on the moneyline, with Milwaukee at -160 and Detroit at +140.
While the Bucks are 55-87 on the road and the Pistons are 85-56 at home, Milwaukee has a 66.4 win percentage when picked as the favorite.
Odds & Line Movement Links: Milwaukee Bucks vs. Detroit Pistons, Vegas Odds (All NBA Games Today)
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DraftKings & FanDuel Fantasy Picks
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Andre Drummond are the studs for tonight’s matchup. Both are coming off big games for their respective clubs, and they are expected to do well again tonight. Giannis has a FanDuel salary of $11,800 and is projected for 57.19 points. Considering he’s eclipsed 70 points three times in his last ten games, 57.19 is definitely doable for the Greek Freak.
Drummond is coming off a 67.50 point performance, and tonight he is projected for 47.47 points, well within the range of what he has been averaging lately. He has a salary of $9,800.
Both teams’ starting point guards are the value picks for this game, with Bledsoe ($7,900 salary on FanDuel) projected for 35.58 points, and Jackson ($5,400) projected for 26.68.
Find all of our Fanduel and Draftkings projections here: https://www.lineups.com/nba/nba-fantasy-basketball-projections.
