DETROIT _ The Detroit Pistons got a hot gym Saturday night at Little Caesars Arena.
The Milwaukee Bucks weren't impressed.
The Eastern Conference's top seed brushed off the return of Blake Griffin and slow start to cruise to a 119-103 victory, taking a commanding 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven first-round series.
Griffin scored 27 points after missing the first two games of the series at Milwaukee with a sore left knee, in the first postseason game in the two-year history of LCA.
Game 4 is Monday as the Pistons will try to avoid breaking the mark for consecutive postseason losses after tying the New York Knicks with 13 straight.
If the Bucks win Monday, the Pistons will be swept from the playoffs in their past three appearances.
The Pistons appeared to be energized by the return of Griffin, but they had no chance with the poor performance from center Andre Drummond. The seven-year pro who helped propel the Pistons into the playoffs was dominated by Bucks center Brook Lopez, who finished with 19 points, seven rebounds and five blocked shots, as the Bucks are a perfect 7-0 against the Pistons this season.
Drummond, plagued by foul trouble, suffered through a nightmarish 5-for-14 shooting night in 30 minutes.
The Pistons were able to contain superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was held to 14 points and 10 rebounds on 5-for-13 shooting.
But the other two members of the Bucks' Big 3 picked up the slack.
Ex-Piston Khris Middleton scored 20 points and point guard Eric Bledsoe added 19 points.
The Bucks were 14 for 38 from 3-point range, where the Pistons struggled again, shooting 11 for 36.
If there were any concerns about Griffin's left knee, he answered them on the first couple of possessions.
The top issue to examine would be defensively and he was matched against Antetokounmpo.
The Bucks tried to test Griffin on the first possession when he tried to back the Pistons star down to the basket.
Griffin held up and forced an Antetokounmpo turnover.
The Bucks tried to see if Griffin could hold up laterally the next possession.
Bledsoe initiated a pick-and-roll with Antetokounmpo as the screener, but Griffin was able to get a piece of the pass, forcing another turnover.
Griffin started slowly at the offensive end, missing his first shot attempt, a 3-pointer, at the 8:31 mark of the first quarter.
He scored his first basket at the 6:24 mark on a tip-in of his own missed shot.
His driving layup gave the Pistons a 20-16 lead at the 5:08 mark.
He went to the bench after seven minutes, scoring four points and dishing out three assists.
Griffin scored 15 points in the first half.
Griffin missed the last two games of the regular season and had last played in the home finale on April 9, a home victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.
