Milwaukee Vs. Detroit
The Detroit Pistons have at least momentarily quieted the controversy regarding a rumored mutiny among the team's veterans. Another two players at the center of that incident could be back Tuesday night.
The Pistons may have Tracy McGrady and Ben Wallace back in the lineup when they visit Milwaukee, going for their third win this season over the Bucks.
Detroit (22-39) capped a tumultuous 48 hours with a 120-116 win over Utah on Saturday, scoring its most points of the season while snapping a three-game losing streak. Rodney Stuckey scored 28 points and Will Bynum converted a 3-point play that gave the Pistons the lead for good with 1:52 remaining.
The win came one night after Detroit used only six players in a 110-94 loss to Philadelphia. Several players missed at least part of the team shootaround earlier in the day and were benched.
Stuckey, Chris Wilcox and Austin Daye were back in the lineup Saturday while Wallace was unavailable following the death of his brother. Tayshaun Prince (back) and McGrady (illness) also did not play Saturday.
The Pistons hope to have McGrady and Wallace available Tuesday while Prince will be a game-time decision.
"We've had a lot of interesting things happen to our team," coach John Kuester said. "The guys that were out there (Saturday), God bless them. They really worked hard tonight. This shows that no one is entitled to anything. You earn respect every day, not from the past."
Richard Hamilton, who missed the shootaround, has played only one game since Jan. 10, although he said he met with Kuester recently in an effort to repair their relationship.
One of the players who has benefited from the troubles has been Bynum, who played all 48 minutes against the 76ers, finishing with 29 points and six assists. On Saturday, he had 11 points, eight assists and four steals. Before the last two games, he was averaging 7.5 points and 3.0 assists.
The Pistons are looking to win back-to-back games for the first time since Feb. 4-5, which included an 89-78 win at Milwaukee in the second game.
The Bucks (22-36) are trying to avoid losing their third straight as they play the second contest in a four-game homestand. They fell 83-75 to Chicago on Saturday, scoring their fewest points of the season while shooting 38.2 percent.
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute scored a season-high 16 points and Andrew Bogut had 16 boards, but the Bulls outrebounded Milwaukee 49-37 and had 18 offensive rebounds.
Brandon Jennings, who is averaging 15.4 points, was held to four in the loss, shooting 2 of 6. He also had only two assists with three turnovers and did not play in the fourth quarter.
"There's a lot of things he needs to do," coach Scott Skiles said of the second-year point guard, who is averaging 4.8 assists. "Become a better ball handler. Brandon's a young player ... This is a good learning experience for him."
The Bucks have lost 10 of 13 while averaging 90.2 points. In the last four, they've shot 39.7 percent.
Detroit has won both meetings against Milwaukee this season, with the Bucks averaging 83.5 points and shooting 38.9 percent.
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