Making up for a messy meltdown
Parker scores 31 to redeem himself
Auburn Hills, Mich. — The only thing the Milwaukee Bucks had to worry about in the fourth quarter Wednesday night was making sure everybody got a chance to play.
The Bucks took control late in the first half at Detroit and never let up, collecting a convincing 119-94 victory over the Pistons at The Palace.
The Bucks opened their fourgame trip with a 107-102 loss in Washington on Monday, in which they gave away a 10-point, fourth-quarter lead. Jabari Parker, who was held to 14 points that night, ripped the team afterward for panicking, but there was no late-game meltdown in this one.
Parker bounced back from that subpar offensive performance by racking up 31 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
“Definitely, we did a good job of playing together,” said Parker, who was two points off his season high. “It was real fun seeing each other do well. It’s definitely a confidence booster. We let that one (in Washington) slip out of our hands but we learned from our mistakes.”
The Bucks used a 17-5 spurt late in the first half to take the lead and held it by outscoring Detroit, 57-40, in the second half. They shot 57.1% from the field and hit half of their 22 threepoint attempts while making a season-high 36 assists.
“It was definitely big for us,” said ex-Pistons center Greg Monroe, who supplied 14 points, five rebounds and six assists off the bench. “We did a good job of coming out in the second half and playing even better in my eyes. The ball kept moving, we were making the right plays and helping each other on defense. Whenever we’re getting stops, getting out in transition and get-
ting the ball up the court quick, that’s when we’re at our best.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo racked up 23 points, eight assists and five rebounds for the Bucks (15-15). The starting backcourt of Tony Snell and Matthew Dellavedova added 11 points apiece.
Parker had the biggest offensive night, shooting 13 for 18 while reaching 20 points for the sixth time in eight games.
“His confidence is high. He’s playing extremely well for us,” coach Jason Kidd said. “Everybody’s going to look at his points, but I look at his total game — being able to find guys, get guys open and then also on the defensive end, I thought he did a really good job.”
Ex-Bucks forward Tobias Harris led the Pistons with 23 points and 12 rebounds off the bench.
The Bucks gradually built upon their eight-point halftime lead, pushing the advantage to 19 late in the third. Michael Beasley’s fast-break dunk after a Monroe steal made it 85-70. Snell soon made it a 19-point lead at 88-69 with a three from the left wing.
The lead was at least 14 the rest of the way, allowing Kidd to empty his bench.
“It was one of those games from start to finish where our energy was high for 48 minutes and we moved the ball for 48 minutes,” Kidd said. “On the defensive end, we got stops when we had to.”
It didn’t totally erase the memory of the Washington meltdown, but it certainly made for a happier locker room.
“We should be 2-0 (on the trip),” center John Henson said. “It still hurts a little bit.”