MILWAUKEE _ With Malcolm Brogdon out due to back tightness, it was the Milwaukee Bucks' other rookie who got the chance to make big plays at crunch time.
And Thon Maker didn't disappoint.
The No. 10 overall pick in the 2016 draft put together his best game in a Bucks uniform, scoring a career-high 23 points and making huge plays at the end of regulation and in overtime to help lift Milwaukee to a 108-105 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Friday night at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.
With less than a minute remaining in regulation and the Bucks trailing by two, Giannis Antetokounmpo attacked the lane to try to even the score. That strategy had paid dividends for the Bucks down the stretch, as Antetokounmpo almost single-handedly erased a 10-point deficit in the final five minutes with drive after drive that either ended in baskets or free throws.
After Antetokounmpo had scored 10 of the Bucks' 12 points during that stretch, the Pistons were hip to his plan and stripped the Bucks' star on this drive to the hoop. With the shot clock winding down, Maker came up with the ball and deposited a layup. At the other end, he contested a Marcus Morris shot to give the Bucks a chance for the last shot, but Khris Middleton couldn't get a jumper to fall.
In the extra frame, Maker's impact only grew. He scored five points in overtime, first finishing strong after receiving a tough pass from Antetokounmpo in transition then broke a tie with 1:58 remaining by swishing a corner 3-pointer.
As important as Maker's points were, his most critical contribution came without getting two hands on the ball.
With a minute left, Matthew Dellavedova missed a 3-pointer, but Maker battled for a rebound that ultimately went off the leg of a Pistons player and out of bounds. Following the inbound, Middleton missed a 3-point attempt, but Maker slapped the ball right back to Middleton, who quickly reloaded and fired off a successful 3. Following a miss by Ish Smith, Antetokounmpo made three of four free throws to salt away the victory.
In addition to Maker's career night, Antetokounmpo finished with 28 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists while Middleton added 25 points and 10 rebounds.
At the outset, it didn't look like a contest that would warrant an extra period. The Bucks took charge immediately with a 22-4 run less than six minutes into the game. In the first quarter alone, Milwaukee sank 7 of 11 3-point attempts, including Maker netting a pair on the way to nine points in six minutes on 3-of-3 shooting.
That hot shooting didn't last, as the Bucks went just 7 of 21 in the second quarter. Meanwhile, the Pistons, led by former Bucks Tobias Harris and Beno Udrih off the bench _ who ultimately combined for 39 points _ led the charge in bringing Detroit back to life and helped the Pistons cut the deficit to eight points at halftime.
Udrih and Harris continued their onslaught in the third quarter and the Bucks ran into even more problems. Milwaukee's continued poor shooting _ the Bucks had no offensive flow and went just 5 of 17 in the third _ combined with seven third-quarter turnovers led to obvious frustration as well as a 73-71 deficit for the home team heading into the fourth quarter.
The Pistons' lead grew to as many as 10 points before the Bucks mounted their comeback.
