NBA 2018-19: 3 Talking Points from the Milwaukee Bucks' win over the Detroit Pistons

The Milwaukee Bucks had already won three out of their last four matchups coming into this one. When they visited Detroit, they had a 6-6 win-loss record in away games while an impressive 13-3 at home.

Eventually, the Bucks held on for a 107-104 victory down the stretch and improved to 20-9 on the season. This win has catapulted them onto the second spot in the East, just 1.5 games behind the leaders in the Toronto Raptors.

After starting the season strongly, the Pistons have now lost seven out of their last ten games, and their most recent loss against Giannis and the Bucks dragged them down to the sixth spot with an even 14-14 record on the Eastern Conference leaderboard.

According to the Bucks' coach Mike Budenholzer, it was a team effort that saw them through in a game which was undecided until the very final moments.

“Lots of different guys stepped up, but Giannis and Khris and Bled kind of leading the way and I thought Brook’s defense – I think five or six blocked shots – was really good. It’s a good win for us on the road.”

Let's draw out some key takeaways from the tussle between two of the most recently up and coming talented sides in the Eastern Conference.

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#1 Giannis Antetokounmpo is a force to be reckoned with

Giannis' average of 26.8 ppg is the 6th best in the league

The Greek Freak is really turning into a legit freak of nature as the season is progressing. The 24-year-old has scored a combined total of 76 points in just the last couple of games and is averaging 26.8 ppg on the season. He is also averaging 13.1 rebounds per game, which is the fifth best in the league right now.

For this game, in particular, Giannis dropped 32 points on emphatic 15-of-21 shooting on the night, along with 12 rebounds, 5 assists and a couple of blocks.

His productivity was hindered by foul trouble in the first half, hence he scored 22 of his total of 32 in the second half. But in his opinion, nothing can stop him from being who he is,

"No matter how many fouls I have, I've got to be aggressive. If I get the third one, I get the third one. Whenever I stop being aggressive, I don't make plays."

Giannis scored seven essential points for Milwaukee near the end of the game.

#2 The Bucks were the better defending team on the night

Milwaukee Bucks have the fourth-best defensive rating in the league

Budenholzer really worked on the Bucks defence in the offseason. They were 19th in the league last year, in terms of defensive rating and have now carved out a fourth spot out of nowhere for themselves on the same list this year.

Localising our interest to their matchup against the Pistons on their home soil, the Bucks made them commit 16 turnovers, recording an impressive 8 steals and 10 blocks throughout the game.

The team's effort in slowing Griffin down and making him commit 10 turnovers was aptly summarised by Antetokounmpo after the game,

“We just showed him a lot of bodies," Antetokounmpo said. "Of course, he’s going to get the ball a lot. He’s going to score points, get rebounds, assists, he’s going to make plays. At the end of the day, we’ve just got to make it as hard as possible for him. We were able to, whenever he was in the post, not double team him, but show him bodies so he never felt comfortable. We wanted him to get as tough of looks as possible.

Wilson and Brown used their physicality, quickness and toughness to keep Blake in check across the 35 minutes he was on the court. They were confident in their abilities and were unfazed in the face of big names like Drummond and Griffin, pulling off a solid win.

#3 Blake Griffin is more complete a player now than he ever was

Griffin has come a long way from being just a rim-wrecking dunker

Griffin is averaging a career-high 25.7 points per game this season.

Against the Bucks in this matchup, the Detroit star already had a triple-double after 36 minutes of action. But he did not have a solid fourth quarter, especially after missing game-tying shots near the end of the game.

Blake had a night of 19 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, but the 10 turnovers proved to be costly for his squad.

He knew he had to take the onus of the missed opportunities down the stretch when the game hung in the balance,

"We're not going to win games by 10 turnovers and by making the poor decisions like I did down the stretch," Griffin said. "I feel bad for these guys because they played so hard and got us back in this game. I wasn't there for them tonight."

Indeed Griffin's concern is legit, as the Pistons rallied from a 15-point, third-quarter deficit and took an 89-86 lead in the fourth, only to falter in the final seconds of regulation.

Although Blake only shot 4-of-13 from the field and just 2-of-7 from downtown, he attempted 12 free-throws on the night making 9 of them. His activity in the paint required special consideration. To put his things into perspective, Griffin has been averaging above 25 points in both wins and losses, something that screams volumes of his consistency this year.