While there is no evidence of an actual purchase, it’s quite clear by now that the Milwaukee Bucks own the Detroit Pistons. Pistons Twitter was in a frenzy this past week.
Since coach Dwane Casey took over in Detroit prior to the 2018-19 season, the Bucks have won 14 straight against the Pistons, usually in convincing fashion.
That run included a four-game 2019 playoff sweep of Detroit that was as lopsided as it gets, as Milwaukee won by an average of 23.8 points per game.
That dominance, in addition to the whereabouts of one young player and the emergence of another, caught the eyes of #PistonsTwitter this week.
Bucks sweep season series vs. Detroit Pistons once again
The only good news is that, for the second straight season, the pandemic has kept the Pistons from only playing the Bucks three times this regular season.
Those games all happened in a 10-game span that wrapped Wednesday with Milwaukee’s 110-101 victory at Little Caesars Arena.
I would like to vote to move the Bucks out of the Central division
— PistonsThoughts (@PistonsThoughts) January 14, 2021
Bucks are like a cat who caught a mouse and are just playing with it.
— Detroit Bad Boys ☠ (@detroitbadboys) January 14, 2021
You’ve gotta at least give yourself a chance, man. I’m exhausted by these games against these guys.
— Nicolas (@NicolasHenkel) January 14, 2021
Though the Bucks were in control throughout, the final score was another where the Pistons surpassed expectations.
While the Detroit Pistons are now 2-9, they are actually 7-4 against the spread this season.
How about that for a backdoor cover, Pistons are now 4-0 against the spread when it is double digits and 7-4 overall against it and the under comes in for the for the 3rd straight game
— Locked On Pistons (@lockedonpistons) January 14, 2021
Missing man: Where is Sekou Doumbouya?
Sekou Doumbouya, the Pistons’ first-round pick from 2019, has been getting the short end of the stick with minutes.
Part of this is understandable, as veteran Blake Griffin and top scorer Jerami Grant demand a certain amount of minutes as the team’s cornerstones.
But as a piece of the future, fans have been disappointed with the lack of minutes for the 20-year-old Frenchman.
Zero minutes for Sekou Doumbouya in the first half. I’d like to remind everyone that he plays on the worst team in the entire NBA. Player development not looking too important for those scrappy Pistons right now.
— Aaron Johnson (@AJohnsonNBA) January 14, 2021
Doumbouya played 5 minutes apiece in games against Phoenix and Utah over the weekend, and then did not play at all on Wednesday night.
I’m a little behind in this pistons game. But uhhhhh. Hey @KuKhahilNBA first quarter just ended for me. If Sekou played like frank jackson, bey, and Josh Jackson have been looking he’d be done for the night, right? Why does everyone act like all the other young fellas “earn”?
— Daniel Zott (@DanielZott) January 14, 2021
Please share to help the @DetroitPistons pic.twitter.com/jrQmwB5nYb
— Everything_Pistons_Podcast (@E_Pistons_Pod) January 14, 2021
“Someone should find Sekou minutes!”
– someone who could find Sekou minutes https://t.co/gcokr70djJ
— Sham (@shamshammgod) January 14, 2021
‘Beef Stew’ (Isaiah Stewart) making his mark early on
I’m not exactly sure who coined the nickname “Beef Stew” for rookie big man Isaiah Stewart, but it’s apparently sticking.
ZEKE FREAK WITH THE FINISH 🍲🍲🍲 pic.twitter.com/ZSiJZfadCG
— Beef Stew Fan Club 🍲 (@club_beef) January 14, 2021
The 16th overall pick from Washington has been just what Pistons Twitter and Detroit fans have wanted from their bigs, displaying hyper-effort in the mold of franchise icons such as Dennis Rodman and Ben Wallace.
On Wednesday, Stewart had a career-high 9 points. He also grabbed 7 rebounds, including 4 on the offensive end. He has 2.9 offensive rebounds per game.
Very hearty Beef Stew minutes
— Lazarus Jackson (@lazchance) January 14, 2021
Who could've predicted Isaiah Stewart minutes would've looked better than Jahlil Okafor minutes
— PistonsThoughts (@PistonsThoughts) January 14, 2021
Beef Stew has done ALOT in a short amount of time.
— Jamon Alexander (@jamonalexander) January 14, 2021
So here’s to you, Beef Stew. Thanks for giving us Detroit Pistons fans something to look forward to.