There would not have been a come back had no one scored in the first half. Drew Gooden carried the load inside, even if he looked completely awful at times. But with Jennings sleepwalking through offensive sets most of the game, someone had to shoot. Drew Gooden is always willing. This was the first game since he’s started at center where he’s really been lit up too. Steve Nash made it a point to feed Marcin Gortat throughout the game.

Brandon Jennings took four shots. He took one in the first half. He claimed after the game that he just wasn’t getting the looks he usually gets. He didn’t say that like someone speaking with much conviction though. Milwaukee is now 0-5 when Jennings scores less than 10 points this season. Jennings and Stephen Jackson each have one game like this under their belt this season. The plot thickens. More on this later.

It was his first game in a while, but there was little rust on Stephen Jackson. He got his shots up and hit a couple timely ones. He also had a couple of big assists. But he’s still struggling to make shots consistently and his words after the game make it sound like he’s hardly on the same page as the organization, even if he’s constantly talking about how much he loves his teammates. His situation is incredibly messy.

There was a reason the Bucks found a way back in to this game. Someone had to have made some shots. Mike Dunleavy led the charge. He always looks like a great shooter and Tuesday he actually was one, knocking down five of seven from the field and four of five from three.

While Jennings appeared to take the night off, Udrih picked up some of the slack. Six points, four assists and three rebounds in just 17 minutes. The backup point guard was a big part of the Bucks second half come back.

Larry Sanders helped provide some energy and chipped in a couple blocks but struggled on offense. That sentence is his career thus far.

Gery Woelfel reported that Moute still has knee problems. It’s hurting how he establishes leverage in the post. It also explains why he’s using poor technique with his arms to guard in the post. Moute is keeping his arms extended to push back against guys backing up. Moute knows he has to body up.

Bad Drew Gooden day. And Gooden was responsible for a lot more gaffs than his one turnover would indicate. He was late to pass, late to notice passes, fumbling everywhere and just generally flubbed up everything.

Jennings followed up a blistering first half with a terrible second half. He was getting open three looks off screens, but he just wasn’t hitting them. What was inexcusable was his defense on Brandon Knight. Without Bogut, he can’t take a lot of the chances that he used to take.
The Bucks have been playing faster and that’s been a boon for Jennings. Detroit slowed him down and Jennings couldn’t respond. The next big point guard step for Jennings is to enforce his style of play regardless of what the other wants.

Still exists.

Favorite sequence of the game: Larry Sanders running the fast break and passing to a streaking Tobias Harris for a rousing dunk. I’m telling you guys: POINT-CENTER.

Dude can just score. Subtract his one three from his box score since it was just a half-hearted desperation three and you see a guy who drew fouls nearly every time he missed. He just knows how to score. The problem is that he doesn’t fit well into the “passing is magic” motif that the Bucks have adopted since Bogut went down.

Carlos Delfino has quietly been the best perimeter defender the Bucks have. Good thing too since Moute needs to play heavy power forward minutes with Bogut out. He bodies up hard on his man. And against everyone except Kobe Bryant, he plays the passing lanes aggressively.

Seriously, how versatile is Moute. Guards Kobe one game, the next he has to guard Greg Monroe. He used his long arms to deny Monroe the ball. And when Monroe was backing up, those same arms pestered Monroe’s dribble resulting in a few turnovers.

Didn’t think it was possible, but Drew Gooden pump fakes on defense. Will Bynum’s just scorching to the basket and Gooden’s all like, “I’m going to get in your way. . . no I’m not.” It’s a lot of fun to watch.

The Pistons’ point guards had the audacity to step onto the same floor as Jennings. This infuriated him greatly. He scorched Bynum and Walker Russell Jr. around the corner, but was often met with a horde of Pistons big men. No matter. Jennings just torched the Pistons from three. And after each one, he defiantly strutted back on defense.

The Bucks ran a sweet pindown for Dunleavy in the fourth. It was a swish. And it put the Pistons away for good. But Dunleavy had no mercy and kept burying them. If they pindown that play a lot more often, some good things are in store for the future. It’s not a coincidence that since Dunleavy started replacing Jackson’s minutes that the ball movement and offense has been off the charts.

Sanders did a very simple power move to the basket and converted a lay-up. No foul. No travel. No double dribble. I don’t know how to say this in any way that won’t sound condescending, but I was so proud of him. I wasn’t the only one in the Bradley Center that felt this way, he got a few cheers when he checked out in the middle of the fourth.