Toronto’s Kyle Lowry resting against Pistons

Middleton scored 11 points in the quarter. All five Detroit starters scored in double figures in the game. The Pistons were without rookie Stanley Johnson, who was out with a sprained right shoulder. Justin Harper hit two early triples when Harris got into foul trouble and finished with nine points. C Andre Drummond finished with 15 points and 17 rebounds, giving him his league-leading 24th game with at least 15 points and 15 rebounds. It was the 14th back-to-back set for the Pistons this season and only the second time they’d won both ends.

One night before squaring off against the red hot Toronto Raptors at The Palace, the Detroit Pistons played a solid game from the opening tip, kept the Bucks at bay throughout and ran away in the fourth quarter for a much needed win.

DeRozan said the Pistons might have been fired up by the fact that Lowry wasn’t playing. Kyle hit a big shot, and now, we’ve got to get ready for a Wizards team that’s trying to get into the playoffs.

Horford had 13 points and Kent Bazemore scored 14 points for the Hawks, which held the Hornets to just nine points in the first quarter. And he finished with 27 on Sunday, including 16 in the first half when he drained 3 of 4 from the arc. He shot an efficient 6-of-10 from the field and added two boards, two steals, one 3-pointer and two turnovers in 31 minutes. F Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with eight points and 12 rebounds but also dished out seven assists, marking the third straight game he’s finished with seven or more. The Pistons are likely more focused on the teams ahead of them, at any rate, and that means Chicago and Charlotte most directly.

A fourth straight victory was important for the Pistons, who moved into an interim tie with two other teams for the last two playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. That game should serve as notice what can happen if the Pistons have one of their nights where they just don’t seem to show up. Even with the game out of reach in the final moments, they continued to get up in the Bucks’ grill and hound the ball.

He continues to fill up the bucket, scoring 20-plus for the fifth time in the last seven games.