Starters put on a show in final dress rehearsal
The Milwaukee Bucks finally looked ready for the regular season on Friday night.
The starters put together solid minutes and the reserves were able to hold on to beat the Detroit Pistons, 107-103, at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.
The victory gave the Bucks a 1-3 record in their preseason games.
Now the games count, beginning against the Celtics on Wednesday night in Boston.
Thon Maker made his preseason debut after dealing with a right ankle injury
during training camp.
Against the Pistons, Maker took his spot in the starting lineup alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, Malcolm Brogdon, Khris Middleton and Tony Snell.
It was the first time Bucks coach Jason Kidd got to look at his presumptive starters for extended minutes.
Maker showed no ill effects from the injury, missing his first two shots before nailing a three-pointer from the corner off a pass from Antetokounmpo. He was also active on defense while dealing with formidable Pistons center Andre Drummond.
Maker finished with eight points and eight rebounds in 25 minutes.
Kidd said before the game that he wanted his players to push the pace faster than the previous preseason games.
"If we want to be a running team, we can’t walk the ball," he said.
The Bucks certainly came out firing.
In the first half, 21 of Milwaukee's 42 field-goal attempts came from behind the threepoint arc. The Bucks made 10.
The long-range shots continued after halftime with the Bucks making 5 of 7 threes in the third quarter as they scored 35 points to take an 86-73 lead heading into the final period.
Kidd didn't play any of his starters in the fourth quarter. The Bucks finished 16 for 33 on three-pointers.
Antetokounmpo seemed ready for the season, getting into the lane and finding shooters with passes. On the other end, he had several chase-down blocks that are becoming his signature.
Antetokounmpo had 17 points, six rebounds, six assists and six blocks in the type of allaround performance the Bucks are expecting out of their superstar.
Greg Monroe (calf) and Brandon Rush (hamstring) sat out the game with injuries. Jason Terry dressed but didn't play.
Kidd wasn't concerned about Monroe.
“(It) has been bothering him. He came to shootaround (Friday)," Kidd said. "I thought he had a great workout and I think he’ll be ready to go in practice on Sunday.”
Injuries and a condensed camp didn't give the Bucks a lot of time to iron out the issues that led to them dropping their first three preseason games.
“(The NBA) is going to have to adjust this, it’s just too fast," Kidd said.