Detroit Pistons: 5 keys to series vs Milwaukee Bucks

Key Number Five: Keeping games close

The Pistons had a point differential of –0.2 this season. They finished the year 41-41, and it makes sense as they were nearly a net neutral team in wins and losses. The Bucks led the NBA in point differential, and they were often resting starters late in the game.

Can the Pistons keep these games close and wear the Bucks out over a full series, or will they get blown out in a hurry on a nightly basis?

The Pistons are better than the Bucks, by 0.7 points in offensive rating in clutch situations. They struggle on the defensive end in those minutes, but they can’t win games if they aren’t staying in them.

Griffin and Drummond do their best work when the game is slowed down, especially against the Bucks that prefer to run in transition to get more opportunities for Giannis and Middleton to run.

Detroit would be smart to keep the game close and slow it down, similar to how the Cavaliers would counter the Golden State Warriors in the championships for years.

They don’t have the talent to match up well with the Bucks, but they can take advantage of matchups in certain slow isolation situations.