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    • Ron Holland missed FTs to cost Pistons in collapse against Bucks, 127-120
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    Ron Holland missed FTs to cost Pistons in collapse against Bucks, 127-120

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    The Detroit Pistons’ hard-fought victory over the Miami Heat on Tuesday was fraught with injuries.

    They lost two starters – Tim Hardaway Jr. (head injury) and Jaden Ivey (sprained big toe right) – and Simone Fontecchio (sprained big toe left). A day later on Wednesday, the Milwaukee Bucks were waiting for them on the road.

    The Bucks also fell short due to injuries, but they still had plenty of them.

    Late blunders were costly for the Pistons, who collapsed on Wednesday, giving up an 18-point lead en route to a 127-120 overtime loss to a Bucks team that was without Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton.

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    The Pistons led 70-52 early in the third. That was before a 33-14 run gave Milwaukee its first lead of the night, 85-84, at the end of the period. Marcus Sasser tied the game at 111 with 25.7 seconds left in the fourth.

    For the second night in a row, the Pistons tried to win the game with an inbounds alley-oop. Cade Cunningham almost converted the pass to Ron Holland, but the rookie was fouled in the air by Giannis Antetokounmpo. With one second on the clock and a chance to win the game, the Netherlands missed both free throws.

    Antetokounmpo scored a season-high 59 points to lead the Bucks to victory. He sparked an 8-0 run to open overtime, knocking down a deep pull-up 3-pointer to give the Pistons their largest deficit of the night, 119-111. They couldn’t recover.

    Cunningham scored a season-high 35 points, dished out 11 assists and grabbed seven rebounds. Malik Beasley added a season-high 26 points and knocked down eight 3-pointers. Wendell Moore Jr. played a season-high 23 minutes and finished with nine points and four rebounds.

    Beasley delivers the best performance of the season

    The season has been up and down for Beasley, who has shot a career-low 36.6% so far. But that number doesn’t represent his impact on the team, both on and off the field. He has knocked down timely threes, like his late bucket against the Heat on Tuesday that tied the game before Cunningham’s alley-oop against Duren that ultimately led to a victory.

    And Beasley has embraced his mentor role on the team. Players have often said how helpful he has been.

    “He’s great,” Bickerstaff said after Tuesday’s win. “We had to let him run a long stretch in that second half. But he hit big shots for us, and he took charge of (Tyler) Herro late in the game and got a couple stops there as well. Beas has been phenomenal: his energy, the way he brings people together, all those things. He has been extremely important to us in building this up so far.”

    Beasley spent all of last season with the Bucks and he had a message to send. In the team’s shortest game of the season so far, he was one of the biggest catalysts in the team’s early 18-point lead.

    The Netherlands deserves the first start due to injuries

    It wasn’t clear how big the rookie’s role would be on a Pistons team that appeared to lack depth on the wing. But Ausar Thompson’s absence paved the way for Holland, and while he is still raw, he has also made big plays and gained the confidence of the coaching staff at a critical time.

    Wednesday was one of his best, as he reached double figures for the second time in his short career with 11 points on 5-for-10 shooting, four rebounds, two assists and a steal. Holland has developed a knack for maneuvering around defenders and finishing, recording several Eurostep finishes in Milwaukee.

    Unfortunately, his first start ended with a pair of missed free throws that could have put the Pistons within .500. It was an inopportune rookie moment in a game that started as one of his best.

    Contact Omari Sankofa II at [email protected]. Follow him @omarisankofa.

    (MUST WATCH: Make ‘The Pistons Pulse’ your favorite Detroit Pistons podcast, available wherever you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) or watch live/on demand on YouTube. )

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