Milwaukee Bucks vs. Detroit Pistons: Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 3/27/2023

by Chuck Sommers

Monday, Mar 27, 2023
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Venue: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, MI
Where to watch: BSDET, BSWI

Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks


DraftKings: Bucks -15
BetMGM: Bucks -15
Caesars: Bucks -15

Season record
Bucks: 53-21
Pistons: 16-58

The All-Star break is over in the NBA and it's time to get on the horse and finish up the final home stretch of the season. Big trades, uncertainty, and absolute hilarity across the board all gearing up for the final home stretch of this season. You know who is also gearing up for the home stretch? Our champion handicappers at bigal.com who are ready to win their way all the way to the playoffs. There's a lot going on that we can't wait for in these final 23-25 games and you're going to need every bit of hardcore analysis you can get from this group. Just in the last 30 days we've had some big winners. Doc's Sports has posted a 16-6-0 record in the last month (+$9,200). AAA Sports has killed it at 17-8-0, and then Al McMordie with a dominant 20-11-1 mark over the last 30 days. Everything you need to know and more about what's going on this league and sports in general will be a fun finish to the end. All you have to do is go to bigal.com and find our Best Bets page and put forth something that only you think is good. Here's a hint: Go to the bigal.com website and happy betting.

Bucks - Pistons preview, prediction and analysis


The Milwaukee Bucks wore down in a battle of conference leaders on Saturday. They'll look to rebound against a struggling team that they've dominated in recent years.

Following a 129-106 loss at Denver, the Bucks visit Detroit in the third contest of a four-game road swing. Milwaukee (53-21) has won 16 of the last 17 meetings against its Central Division rival and can sweep the season series with a victory.

Detroit (16-58) has lost its last five games and 16 of its last 17.

The Bucks blew out Utah by 28 points on Friday night but couldn't sustain that energy and production in the Mile High City. The Bucks led 66-63 at halftime but were outscored 34-19 in the third quarter and 32-21 in the fourth.

"We love competing against the best, whether we're fresh or not," Milwaukee forward Khris Middleton said. "(Saturday) it came off a back-to-back, we've still got to be better. There's no excuses about that. I'm sure for a lot of fans, a lot of people out there that would love to see healthy teams or not off back-to-backs play the top teams in each conference."

Denver shot 52.8 percent from the field and made 15 3-pointers. Milwaukee was held to 44.3 percent shooting and connected on just 25 percent of its 3-point attempts.

In the showdown of Most Valuable Player award candidates, the Nuggets' Nikola Jokic had 31 points, 11 assists and six rebounds. The Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo also scored 31 points and added nine rebounds, four assists and four steals.

"You just want to make things tough for him," Milwaukee center Brook Lopez said of Jokic. "He's obviously very talented offensively so you just want to make things as tough as possible and obviously be smart as well, too, because he's great at drawing fouls and getting to the line. I appreciate that trust (to guard him one-on-one). It's a great challenge and I'm up to that challenge. I'm here for it."

Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer felt ball and player movement were lacking in the second half.

"Credit to Denver. They played well in the third quarter, fourth quarter," he said. "They just had us in the second half. We can be better."

The Pistons have been playing with depleted lineups over the past month and the results have been predictable. They have lost by at least nine points in each of their last five games.

In their last outing on Friday, the Raptors romped past them 118-97. Toronto scored 38 points in the first quarter and led 72-52 at halftime.

"With all of our leading guys out, our young guys didn't approach it with the proper disposition," coach Dwane Casey said. "Toronto is playing for a playoff spot and our guys didn't play with the intensity you have to have against a team fighting for the playoffs."

Rookie guard Jaden Ivey led the Pistons with 20 points and eight assists but also committed nine of their 22 turnovers, which led to 23 Raptors points.

"That was a big difference, too," Casey said. "That was a great lesson for him."

The Bucks wrap up their road trip at Indiana on Wednesday. The Pistons begin a three-game road trip at Oklahoma City on Wednesday.

Prediction

Nothing better than trusting the Bucks to handle business in a bounce-back effort. Bucks 118, Pistons 100

Projected starting lineup

Bucks:
PG: Jrue Holiday
SG: Grayson Allen
SF: Khris Middleton
PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo
C: Brook Lopez

Pistons:
PG: Killian Hayes
SG: Jaden Ivey
SF: Isaiah Livers
PF: Marvin Bagley III
C: James Wiseman

Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert basketball picks today. And if you enjoyed this preview, be sure to drop by every day for our daily NBA/college basketball projections and previews.

Chuck Sommers

About the Author:

Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.

All photographic images used for editorial content have been licensed from the Associated Press.

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