The Detroit Pistons have simultaneously played excellent, improved ball while also playing terribly clumsily in crunch time. There was no greater example than yesterday’s win against the Miami Heat. The Pistons swallowed a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter through a combination of veteran failures, careless turnovers and an inability to stop the one man on Miami’s offense who could do it. It took divine intervention in the form of the NBA’s best coach, who literally cost his team the game by calling a timeout that the team didn’t have when the score was tied and less than two seconds remained.

Needless to say, the Pistons can’t count on such lightning striking twice. Luckily for them, the Milwaukee Bucks aren’t the Heat. They play their own horrible basketball, and with even fewer excuses. Things are getting ugly in Milwaukee, but that doesn’t mean they can’t use a visit from the Pistons to cure their ailment. This feels like the kind of game where the winning team becomes twenty men. Whether that’s the Pistons or the Bucks, I guess we’ll find out.

Game Vitals

When: 8:00 PM ET
Where: Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Watch: FanDuel Sports Network Detroit
Chances: Pistons +6.5

Projected lineups

Detroit Pistons (5-7)
Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Malik Beasley, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren

Milwaukee Bucks (3-8)
Ryan Rollins, AJ Green, Taurean Prince, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez