AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — The Detroit Pistons haven’t totally clicked yet after an offseason makeover,
yet their new-look roster has shown a lot more potential than Milwaukee’s.Brandon Jennings made four
consecutive 3-pointers in the first quarter against his former team, and the Pistons overwhelmed the
struggling Bucks with a dazzling first half in a 113-94 victory Monday night.Jennings was traded from
Milwaukee to Detroit last offseason after four seasons with the Bucks.“At this point in my career, every
game gets me geeked up,” Jennings said. “I’ve got a lot of chip on my shoulder right now, so I’m just trying
to prove that I can come over here and lead this team to the playoffs.”Jennings hadn’t been shooting well
for the Pistons, but that changed right away Monday, when he led Detroit on a 21-0 run toward the end of the
first quarter. The Pistons led 38-18 after one and by as many as 34 in the third.Jennings finished with 15
points and 13 assists. Brandon Knight, who went from Detroit to Milwaukee in the trade, scored eight points.
The Bucks have lost nine straight.“Right now we are a team that is searching — searching for an identity,”
Milwaukee coach Larry Drew said. “I expressed my disappointment in how we played, but the last thing I want
us to do as a team is to feel sorry for ourselves.”Khris Middleton, also sent from the Pistons to the Bucks
in that deal, had 14 points. John Henson led Milwaukee (2-11) with 15.The Pistons won back-to-back games for
the first time this season. Their offseason shakeup, which included the trade for Jennings and the
acquisition of free agent Josh Smith, hasn’t paid dividends yet, but this game was a blowout almost from the
start. Detroit (6-8) could gain ground quickly in an Eastern Conference that is full of struggling teams.“We
have a lot of talent. We’ve just got to put the chemistry together,” Jennings said. “The East is real shaky.
We’ve got a chance to really put some wins in now that we’re at home.”This win was the start of a four-game
homestand for Detroit.“We needed it,” coach Maurice Cheeks said. “We don’t want to keep winning one game and
losing two games, one game. We never can get any rhythm like that.”Drew called a timeout 84 seconds into the
game, with his team down 8-2. Detroit led 17-14 before its decisive run, which included three 3-pointers by
Jennings in a span of 1:19.Detroit’s Charlie Villanueva, who had scored only 10 points all season, matched
that total in the second quarter. He made a couple of 3-pointers and had a breakaway dunk after one of
Milwaukee’s 15 first-half turnovers.It was 65-34 at halftime.Villanueva finished with 12 points, one of
seven Pistons in double figures. Rodney Stuckey led Detroit with 17 points.Knight turned the ball over six
times.“It wasn’t a good experience just because my team struggled,” Knight said. “I want my team to do well,
so I’m just trying to focus on that and getting to playing the way I need to play.”One of the Pistons’
strengths has been the offensive rebounding of Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond, but they didn’t need much of
that Monday because they weren’t missing many shots to begin with.The third quarter began with a free throw
— Milwaukee’s O.J. Mayo had been whistled for a technical foul as the teams left the court at halftime — and
the game quickly became tedious after that. The Pistons and Bucks combined to shoot 26 free throws in the
third, but Milwaukee never cut into the lead in any meaningful way.The Bucks’ losing streak equals their
longest since they dropped 15 in a row in 1996, according to STATS. The last time Milwaukee lost nine
straight was in 2008 — and that skid spanned the end of one season and the beginning of another.NOTES:
Carlos Delfino (right foot) and Larry Sanders (right thumb) were out for Milwaukee. The Pistons were missing
Chauncey Billups (knee tendinitis). … The Bucks finished with 20 turnovers, leading to 26 Detroit points.