Without Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday, Bucks hold off Pistons, 126-117

DETROIT – The Milwaukee Bucks were without MVP candidate and all-star Giannis Antetokounmpo along with all-star point guard Jrue Holiday, but they were able to beat the Detroit Pistons, 126-117, Monday night at Little Caesars Arena.

The win moved the Bucks to 54-21 and kept them two games clear of the Boston Celtics for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Pistons are a league-worst 16-59 and have lost six straight.

Bucks veterans outlast Pistons

The Bucks had their hands full for most of the game against the youthful Pistons, particularly since head coach Dwane Casey had challenged their effort in a previous loss to Toronto. Detroit never buckled, despite trailing by as many as 15, and cut the Milwaukee lead to as few as one late in the third quarter and to as few as four early in the fourth.

But, despite the best efforts of second-year point guard Jaden Ivey (32 points, eight assists, eight rebounds) and No. 13 pick Jalen Duren (18 points, 10 rebounds), the Bucks veterans were able to withstand those surges and eventually build back a late 14-point lead late to reclaim control of the game.

"That's something about us, we're not going to get too rattled about much of anything," Bucks guard Wesley Matthews said. "We've got essentially three damn teams on here. So, staying the course. Those guys play hard, they play well, they play fast, they're young. But, in the words of (Bobby Portis), we're workin' on somethin'. So, staying the course is huge."

Box score:Bucks 126, Pistons 117

Khris Middleton led the Bucks with 34 points on 13 of 23 shooting. He also had five assists and eight rebounds. Middleton scored 30 of his points in the final three quarters.

"Just try to be a little more aggressive with Jrue and Giannis being out, realizing that I'm going to have the ball in my hands a lot more, so just trying to get to my spots," Middleton said. "It's just two decisions basically. Try to get to my spot and try to shoot it, and if I can't, try to find the open man. That's kind of the mindset that I had after that first quarter."

Brook Lopez had 24 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks. Bobby Portis had 21 points and 14 rebounds.

Detroit, which on Jan. 23 set a season high for free throws by a Milwaukee opponent with 40, shot 36 Monday night. But the Pistons were only 7 for 24 (29%) from behind the three-point line. Casey said before the game the Bucks force teams into the midrange and teams just can’t make enough of those to win, and the veteran coach was right. The Bucks made seven more threes (14 for 44), led by Jevon Carter’s six triples.

It was the fourth time this season Carter hit 6 threes. He was 8 for 15 overall for 22 points and hit several key threes in the fourth quarter to help push the Bucks’ lead.

"Obviously young team, lots of guys out -- kind of the guys who have started for them all year -- they play fast, they play hard, play free, they're enjoying, they're having fun," Joe Ingles said of the Pistons. "They're kids. There's a few 19-year-olds. Obviously a win's a win at the end of the day. We could've been better in some situations. Obviously with getting here at whatever time (in the morning) with (flight) delays wasn't ideal, regardless of who you play, but it was just good to kind of grind it out. When we needed to play well, we played well and obviously get a win."

What is the Bucks record without Giannis?

Antetokounmpo missed his 16th game of the season, and his first since March 11. The Bucks are 10-6 when he has not played.

Goran Dragić makes Bucks debut

Thirty-six-year-old point guard Goran Dragić played his first game since signing with Milwaukee on March 4. He checked in for the first time with 2 minutes 22 seconds left in the first quarter, putting him in his 1,000th game (regular season and playoffs combined). He picked up an assist on his first offensive possession by finding Matthews for a layup.

"It's awesome feeling," Dragić said. "You work hard behind the scenes that nobody sees, off days you come in, therapies and everything. It's a lot of work. Lot of work putting in and it's always nice feeling when you finally came back. It doesn't stop. So, now on the plane, do treatments tomorrow just to be able to play, but I'm happy to be back."

Dragić played nine minutes and was 0 for 2 with three assists.

"It was cool. I'm happy for him," Matthews said. "Coming back from injuries is tough. Working your way into a new team is also tough. And, for him to be able to come out there and play his 1,000th game in the league, which is a hell of a milestone. That's nothing to bat an eyelash about. To be part of his assist, that was cool."

Dragić had missed his last four games as a Chicago Bull with left knee soreness (and one more as he was being waived), and then sat out 11 games with the left knee issue as a member of the Bucks.

He was available to play on March 11 against Golden State but was held out after a morning workout. He was also considered available to play vs. Sacramento on March 13 but did not.

"I was, I was, I was ready for 'Sac' but then I had a little setback in the morning when I did too much," he said. "It is hard. It is hard, especially – they have to kind of pull me back. When I start feeling good and I go, you know? I work a little bit too much. Then it's not a good thing for me. But yeah, I'm just happy now we know where my limit is, so we're just going to work through that limit and just build on it to be more prepared."

In 51 games with the Bulls – all off the bench – Dragić played about 15 minutes per game and shot 35.2% from behind the three-point line. He is a career 36.1% three-point shooter, but his offensive game is a bit different in that he tries to get into the paint and the midrange area to look for his shot or play make.

More:A timeline of Giannis Antetokounmpo's injuries during his NBA career and how quickly he returns from them

Giannis Antetokounmpo out with knee soreness

The MVP candidate missed his 16^th game of the season for the Bucks, as he and the team managed right knee soreness that cropped up after back-to-back games in Utah and Denver.

Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said the soreness is not unlike what Antetokounmpo has managed throughout the year. Antetokounmpo last appeared on the injury report with this specific malady back on March 6 following back-to-back games.

If there is a silver lining to this development, it’s that Antetokounmpo is not missing the game with another injury. He took a hard foul on his right hand against the Nuggets and had missed games with that injury since first suffering it back on Feb. 16.

He had not missed a game with knee soreness since managing his left knee from Jan. 12-21.

Jrue Holiday out for personal reasons

Holiday was not with the team in Detroit for personal reasons, and Budenholzer said he wasn’t sure if Holiday would be able to conclude the trip in Indianapolis on Wednesday.

The all-star point guard had not missed a game since March 7 in Orlando. It is the 13th game of the season Holiday has missed.

Holiday was 3 for 11 for nine points and handed out seven assists in the Bucks’ loss at Denver on Sunday.

What is the Bucks magic number?

6

The number is determined the combination of Bucks wins and Boston Celtics losses to clinch the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.

5 numbers

4-2 Bucks' record when Antetokounmpo and Holiday don’t play.

8-5 Bucks' record when Holiday doesn’t play.

10-6 Bucks' record when Antetokounmpo does not play.

21 Second-chance points for the Bucks, 20 of which came in the second half. The extra effort was needed, as the Bucks had surrendered 20 to the Pistons.

644 Blocks as a Buck for Brook Lopez after swatting two vs. the Pistons. It moved him into No. 4 all-time in franchise history, passing Andrew Bogut. Bogut was the No. 1 pick by the Bucks in 2005 and played in 408 games over seven seasons in Milwaukee. Lopez played his 305^th game for the Bucks after signing in 2018-19.

Plays of the game were from Wesley Matthews in the fourth quarter

The Bucks led 99-95 with 10:21 to go in the game, and were hanging around before Wesley Matthews put his stamp on the game.

"Multiple defensive plays that really changed the momentum, changed the feel of the game," Budenholzer said.

He collected a defensive rebound after nice defense by Bobby Portis forced a missed shot, and Matthews fired an overhead two-hand pass up to Jevon Carter for a transition three-pointer to make it 102-95.

Then out of a Pistons timeout, Matthews stole a pass from Cory Joseph and drew a foul on the ensuing fastbreak. Matthews made both free throws to make it 104-95.

"Cory Joseph made a play that he wouldn't normally read as a vet point guard," Matthews said. "He normally wouldn't throw the ball low. He did. I was hoping he would."

He then forced another turnover, switching on defense and playing an angle around a screen to meet R.J. Hampton in the lane with some contact, forcing Hampton to lose it out of bounds. Brook Lopez had a bucket on the next possession, and the Bucks were up 106-95 and put it away from there.

"And then just being in this league a long time, reading the angles, reading situations, and I was able to make a deflection and we were able to make them pay on it," Matthews said.

Video of the game is an around-the-horn three-pointer

Before the game, Pistons head coach Dwane Casey said one of the biggest differences he's noticed in the Bucks throughout the year is their improved ball movement on offense. Milwaukee showed it off on a Jevon Carter three-pointer with about five minutes to go in the first half, as the ball started in one direction and went around the court in the other. It led to an open Carter three, which was part of a 12-2 run.

Bucks injury report

• Holiday (personal reasons), out

• Antetokounmpo (right knee soreness), out

• Jae Crowder (left calf soreness), probable

• Goran Dragić (left knee soreness), probable

• Meyers Leonard (left calf soreness), out

Who do the Bucks play next?

The last regular season road trip concludes Wednesday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis as the Bucks take on the Pacers. Indiana won the last matchup, a 123-119 upset at Fiserv Forum. The Bucks won the previous games 132-119 and 141-131, and the Pacers have given the Bucks fits with their tempo and outside shooting. Former Bucks player Jordan Nwora has averaged 14.4 points per game over his last 10, including a 12-point effort in the Pacers' win over his former team.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Without Giannis and Jrue Holiday, Bucks hold off Pistons 126-117