Milwaukee Bucks star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo exited the game early with an injury, but the Detroit Pistons still couldn’t find a win Wednesday night at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.
Even without the Bucks’ star, Milwaukee outscored the Pistons 46-40 in the paint and Detroit shot just 40% from the field, coming up short to their Central Division foes, 113-109.
Tobias Harris led the way with 20 points for the Pistons, Cade Cunningham added 17 with seven rebounds and assists, while Jaden Ivey had his strongest performance since returning from injury with 15 points. But it wasn’t enough to get the win on the road.
Antetokounmpo suffered a right calf strain in the opening minutes of the game after [missing the first meeting this season](https://www.mlive.com/pistons/2025/11/pistons-end-3-year-losing-streak-to-bucks-for-nba-best-12th-straight-win.html) with the Pistons due to a groin strain.
Before the two-time NBA MVP went down, the Pistons were already creating separation as Harris scored five quick points off a three and a jumper.
Ausar Thompson found success in the paint with a pair of finishes to help push the Pistons out to a 17-4 lead.
The Pistons got up by as many as 18, but the Bucks went on a 9-0 run to end the first quarter, getting comfortable behind eight first-quarter points from AJ Green.
The Pistons jumped back out to a 15-point lead after working the ball around the court and getting Daniss Jenkins for an open three in the corner.
The Bucks found their surge from the post in the second quarter, ending on a 16-4 run thanks to a perfect 5-of-5 start by big man Jericho Sims.
After shooting just 37% from the field and 29% from beyond the arc, the Pistons held a slim 52-49 lead at halftime, without a player scoring in double digits for the half.
The Bucks came out in the third quarter and finally took their first lead of the game with Myles Turner sinking a second-chance three-pointer. Harris matched him soon after with back-to-back threes to retake the lead.
While Cunningham scored eight in the period to keep the Pistons out in front, Detroit was about to lose a key player of its own.
After getting called for a technical late in the third quarter for arguing with a referee, Isaiah Stewart took a hard foul from Milwaukee’s Bobby Portis as he caught him in the face while trying to defend him in the paint.
A physical night led to the two exchanging words and getting in each other’s faces after the whistle. Stewart raised his fist in Portis’ face, but the two were separated before things escalated further.
Each player received a technical, resulting in Stewart being ejected after picking up his second.
In his stead, Jenkins, Paul Reed and Javonte Green scored the final six points for the Pistons to go ahead by seven heading into the fourth quarter.
While Reed contributed well without Stewart, adding seven points, three rebounds and a block in the fourth quarter, the Bucks were able to heat up again for a 12-2 run that finished with back-to-back three-pointers for AJ Green.
There were three lead changes and the teams were level twice down the stretch, but Cunningham had a critical late turnover and Caris LeVert missed a pair of threes in the final minute.
While Detroit didn’t make a basket for the final two minutes, the Bucks got to the foul line to earn the win and hand the Pistons their third loss in five games.
[**BOX SCORE**](https://go.skimresources.com?id=126006X1587345&xs=1&xcust=jacob-richman%7C&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nba.com%2Fgame%2Fdet-vs-mil-0022500331%2Fbox-score%23box-score&product_category=Sporting+Goods%3EAthletics%3EBasketball)
**Up next:** The Pistons return home to host the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday as the first night of a back-to-back.