3rd Quarter Report

The Bucks already have more points against the Pistons than they managed in total against the Cavaliers last Wednesday. Sitting on a score of 103-98, the Bucks have looked like the better team, but there’s still one more quarter to play. They took a big hit to their ego last Wednesday, so a win here would be a pleasant pick-me-up.

If the Bucks keep playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 29-13 in no time. On the other hand, the Pistons will have to make due with a 4-38 record unless they turn things around (and fast).

Who’s Playing

Milwaukee Bucks @ Detroit Pistons

Current Records: Milwaukee 28-13, Detroit 4-37

How To Watch

• When: Saturday, January 20, 2024 at 3 p.m. ET
• Where: Little Caesars Arena — Detroit, Michigan
• TV: Bally Sports – Detroit
• Follow: CBS Sports App
• Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
• Ticket Cost: $16.85

What to Know

If the oddsmakers’ predictions hold true, the near future looks bright for the Bucks. They will head out on the road to face off against the Detroit Pistons at 3:00 p.m. ET on Saturday at Little Caesars Arena. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they’ll have plenty of motivation to get the ‘W’.

The Bucks unfortunately witnessed the end of their three-game winning streak on Wednesday. It’s going to take some time for them to recover from the 135-95 bruising that Cleveland dished out on Wednesday. The result shouldn’t come as a shock considering that’s the fewest points the Bucks have scored all season.

Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, the Bucks struggled to work together and finished the game with only 19 assists. They were demolished by their opponents in that department as the Cavaliers posted 36 assists.

Meanwhile, the Pistons traveled a rocky road last season, and unfortunately for them the road hasn’t gotten any smoother. They took a 124-117 hit to the loss column at the hands of Minnesota on Wednesday.

The Pistons’ defeat came about despite a quality game from Jaden Ivey, who scored 32 points along with six assists. That’s the first time this season that Ivey scored 30 or more points.

Milwaukee’s defeat dropped their record down to 28-13. As for Detroit, they bumped their record down to 4-37 with that defeat, which was their fourth straight at home.

Keep an eye on the arc in Saturday’s matchup: The Bucks have made nailing deep shots look easy this year this season, having averaged 14.3 threes per game. It’s a different story for the Pistons, though, as they’ve been averaging only 10.6 threes per game. Given the Bucks’ sizeable advantage in that area, the Pistons will need to find a way to close that gap.

Everything went the Bucks’ way against the Pistons in their previous matchup back in December of 2023 as the Bucks made off with a 146-114 win. With the Bucks ahead 81-56 at the half, the match was all but over already.

Odds

Milwaukee is a big 13.5-point favorite against Detroit, according to the latest NBA odds.

The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Bucks as a 12.5-point favorite.

The oddsmakers are expecting fireworks from the offense and set the over/under at a high 244 points.

See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.

Series History

Milwaukee has won 9 out of their last 10 games against Detroit.

• Dec 16, 2023 – Milwaukee 146 vs. Detroit 114
• Nov 08, 2023 – Milwaukee 120 vs. Detroit 118
• Mar 27, 2023 – Milwaukee 126 vs. Detroit 117
• Jan 23, 2023 – Milwaukee 150 vs. Detroit 130
• Nov 02, 2022 – Milwaukee 116 vs. Detroit 91
• Oct 31, 2022 – Milwaukee 110 vs. Detroit 108
• Apr 08, 2022 – Milwaukee 131 vs. Detroit 101
• Jan 03, 2022 – Detroit 115 vs. Milwaukee 106
• Nov 24, 2021 – Milwaukee 114 vs. Detroit 93
• Nov 02, 2021 – Milwaukee 117 vs. Detroit 89