Bucks secure No. 5 seed in playoffs after beating Pistons

DETROIT (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 32 points, 15 assists and 11 rebounds to lead the Milwaukee Bucks in a 125-119 win over the Detroit Pistons on Friday night, securing the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Antetokounmpo has a career-high 11 triple-doubles this season, surpassing his total from last year by one.

Cade Cunningham scored 36 points on 15-of-21 shooting for the Pistons, who will be seeded sixth in their first postseason appearance since 2019.

Detroit's Malik Beasley connected on a 3-pointer to make it 122-119 with 17 seconds left, but the Bucks sealed the win in the closely contested game with free throws.

Milwaukee's Bobby Portis Jr. had 17 points and 10 rebounds, Kevin Porter Jr. scored 16, Brook Lopez had 15 points and seven rebounds and Kyle Kuzma added 10 points.

Beasley scored 21 points, Jalen Duren had 11 points and 16 rebounds, Tobias Harris scored 17, Dennis Schroder had 12 points and Ausar Thompson chipped in with 11 points.

Takeaways

Bucks: Antetokounmpo had a calf injury that kept him out of the 2024 playoffs, leading to the team's second straight first-round exit, and the team is thankful he's healthy. The two-time MVP has played in 67 of 81 games and coach Doc Rivers praised what the 6-foot-11, 254-pound forward has done to take care of his body.

Pistons: After winning an NBA-low 14 games last season, Detroit has had a turnaround with 30 more wins that trails just five teams in NBA history. The other teams, led by the 2008 Boston Celtics, won at least 20 games before bouncing back the following year.

Key moment

A.J. Green made a 3-pointer with 1:51 left, giving the Bucks a nine-point lead to help them pull away.

Up next

The Bucks and Pistons close the regular season Sunday in Milwaukee.

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