Bucks use huge 3rd quarter to beat Pistons in home opener

October 31, 11:20 PMMilwaukee Bucks ExaminerKris Gilson

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It's funny how quickly things can change in the NBA.

After getting hammered in last night's 3rd quarter by the Philadelphia 76ers, the Bucks used their own monstrous 3rd quarter to beat the Detroit Pistons in the team's home opener.

The Bucks outscored the Pistons 36-14 in the 3rd, led by Brandon Jennings, who had 24 points tonight.

Milwaukee was down 49-38 going into the half, so whatever it was coach Scott Skiles said to his team in the locker room, the message certainly was sent.

Jennings had 21 of his 24 in the second half, including two free throws with 1:07 left in the game, putting the Bucks up 95-83.

One of the major reasons the Bucks lost their season opener last night was because of poor forward play, but that was not the case tonight.  Hakim Warrick came off the bench against the Pistons to score 21 points, including 2 steals and 5 rebounds.  The Bucks will need consistent play from Warrick if they want to compete in the East this season.

The home opener crowd of just over 15,000 gave Jennings a standing ovation when he left the game in the fourth quarter.  The fact that he only had 3 assists tonight is a little surprising, but it's clear Jennings knows exactly what he's doing on the floor as a rookie.

The Bucks held the Pistons to just 43.7% shooting on the night, quite an accomplishment after Detroit was shooting well over 50% for much of the first half.  Milwaukee held the Pistons to just 25% (4-16) from beyond the arc.

Ben Gordon led the Pistons with 26 points and has made a career of carving up the Bucks.  Rodney Stuckey added 13 and former Buck Charlie Villanueva had 12 points in just 23+ minutes.

Carlos Delfino joined the Bucks' starting lineup tonight after being suspended for the season opener after a preseason scuffle with the Pistons' Austin Daye.  He played just 19 minutes and had 5 points.

With the win, the Bucks evened their regular season record at 1-1.  They will play the Bulls (1-1) in Chicago for their next game on Tuesday.  Gametime is 7:00pm.

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