The Detroit Pistons' game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday went similarly to their game against the Bucks on Monday.
Milwaukee led for the entire night and built significant leads, but the Pistons rallied to make the final score respectable.
After tailing by 34 early in the third quarter, the Pistons outscored the Bucks down the stretch and fell, 130-115. They saw career performances from Jerami Grant (career-high 31 points, 10 rebounds) and Saddiq Bey, who had career-highs in points (20), rebounds (10) and 3-pointers made (six).
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 25 points and eight rebounds.
------
The Pistons played basketball after a suspenseful day in American history, which saw protestors storm the U.S. Capitol building in support of president Donald Trump's effort to overthrow the 2020 election two weeks before president-elect Joe Biden's inauguration.
It was on coaches and players' minds entering the game. Pistons head coach Dwane Casey denounced the riots by Trump's supporters in Washington D.C. before the game, and the Pistons and Bucks jointly kneeled in a show of solidarity before the opening tip.
"As a father and husband human being, the situation that happened at our Capitol today and seeing our house, seeing our people’s house be stormed like that and be taken, basically, whoever it was, I don’t know if it’s a group or whoever it is, it was malicious, it was dangerous, it’s a huge attack on our democracy and that is concerning," Casey said before the game. "It’s far more dangerous and more important than basketball. But I think that our players, they were talking about it in the locker room, I don’t think it should affect them. We still have a job to do.
"In the back of our mind, once the game is over, it’s concerning. For our country to be in a situation where it’s being attacked, you see politicians running for cover, officers being injured, being pulled into the rotunda, it’s a sad day for our country and we can do better."
------
The Pistons were already shorthanded going into Wednesday's game. Rookie point guard Killian Hayes is out indefinitely with a torn labrum in his right knee, and Josh Jackson missed his second game after spraining his right ankle Sunday.
Detroit could be even more shorthanded depending on the status of Rose, who left for the locker room toward the end of the second quarter with a right knee contusion. Based on the Fox Sports Detroit broadcast, it isn't clear how Rose suffered the injury. But his absence left the Pistons very thin at point guard, and will leave them thin at point guard until he returns.
Delon Wright replaced Hayes in the starting lineup, and two-way guard Saben Lee made his debut midway through the second quarter. Lee quickly made an impression, driving to the rim in transition and getting to the line about 30 seconds after checking in. He finished with four points and two steals in 12 minutes, and could see more soon depending on Rose's timeline.
------
Allan Houston owns the Pistons' rookie record for 3-pointers made in a game with six. He's now the co-owner of the record, as Bey went 6-for-10 from 3 Wednesday.
Bey continued to perform as one of the better players on the roster during a rookie season that has seen him emerge as the best shooter on the roster. On the season, he's shooting 19-for-41 (46.3%) from behind the arc.
