| Detroit Free Press
Derrick Rose of Detroit Pistons on the big night of Giannis Antetokounmpo
Derrick Rose spoke on January 4, 2021 after his 24-point, 8-assist against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Detroit Pistons
The odds were Monday against the Detroit Pistons. They were two beginners in Blake Griffin and Josh Jackson. They play the second night of a home-back-to-back series. And they played last season with the Milwaukee Bucks, the best team in the Eastern Conference.
The Pistons lost 125-115 to the Bucks, but received strong performances from Jerami Grant (24 points, three blocks) and Derrick Rose (24 points from the bench)., and in the last three minutes of the night settled a backlog of 18 points to eight.
The Pistons (1-6) lost 12 straight against the Bucks, including the national season, with their final win taking place on February 28, 2018.
[ Why the Detroit Pistons are already playing catch-up this season ]
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 30 points in the first half and finished with 43 for the Bucks (4-3).
Killian Hayes injures right hip and leaves wild
The biggest story from Monday’s game is Hayes’ right hip injury. It is possible that Hayes, compared to his ankle injury last Tuesday, is fine and will miss minimal, if any, time. Non-contact injuries are always a concern, and this is something to monitor.
Less than two minutes into the second half, Hayes turned the ball over and lost his balance as he ran back on defense to challenge a Jrue Holiday layup attempt. Before hitting the floor, he got pain and started grabbing his right hip area. The Pistons later announced that he would not return to the game.
“He’s going to have an MRI tomorrow, and we’ll find out tomorrow,” Dwane Casey said after the game. “They thought it was a hip flexor, but they weren’t sure.”
Hayes scored the game with seven points, an assist and three times. He shows flashes of growing confidence to score the ball. He hit a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer and two drivers in the lane. He came to his driver regularly this season, but he could not hit it all the time.
His first half was a blueprint he could build on as soon as he returned.
Rose has the best performance of the season
As Hayes missed most of the second half, Rose delivered his best game of the year. He scored 24 points on 9-for-18 shooting and eight assists, both season highs.
Rose started the season slowly, but he was getting better. Two of his best performances have taken place in his last three games. It was a typical good Derrick Rose game that had some tough finishes from the middle and at the edge. He was an important reason why the Pistons managed to stay within striking distance for much of the night, despite being undermined and playing the second night of a rugby game.
Grant shakes off poor start
As of Monday, Grant averaged 22.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.2 blocks per game. National opinion was, to say the least, divided over Troy Weaver’s decision to sign Grant to a $ 60 million three-year contract after a strong season as a player with the Denver Nuggets.
He meets the challenge, and then some. He scored at least 20 points for the sixth consecutive game on Monday, proving he can thrive as a lead option.
Grant had a shaky start against the Bucks, picked up two errors and dropped out by 10:10 of the first quarter of the game. He re-entered the game at the start of the second quarter and stopped Sunday where he left off.
Contact Omari Sankofa II at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @omarisankofa. The Free Press has launched a new digital subscriber model.