The Milwaukee Bucks won consecutive games for the first time this season with a rollicking 127-120 comeback victory over the Detroit Pistons in overtime behind a virtuoso performance by Giannis Antetokounmpo on Wednesday night at Fiserv Forum.

Antetokounmpo was sublime, scoring 59 points on 21 of 34 shooting, including scoring 20 points off midrange jumpers. He also had 14 rebounds, seven assists, three blocks and two steals. He is the first player in NBA history to have that stat line.

“His handprint was all over the game," Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said. "When you think about having the scoring off the floor that we had – no Dame, no Khris Middleton, no Bobby Portis, no Ryan (Rollins) so we’re down to one living point guard on our team – and for him to do that and for us to score 127 points, though he got half of them almost, every basket was needed.”

Box score: Bucks 127, Pistons 120 (OT)

More: Milwaukee Bucks schedule 2024-2025 season

It is second-most points he's scored in a game and is the most scored in a game this season. He appeared to get emotional after the game when chants of "MVP! MVP!" rained down from the crowd.

Antetokounmpo said after the game that was because he thought about how his teammates had stepped up late to help put him in that position. Brook Lopez turned back the clock to score 29 points on 17 shots. Lopez also had five blocks, three steals and eight rebounds.

Without Damian Lillard, Middleton and Portis, the Bucks needed others to step up and provide some offense, and though it took a half for it to happen Gary Trent Jr., Taurean Prince and Andre Jackson Jr. all had big second half buckets to help the Bucks improve to 4-8.

"The players give me a lot of energy," Antetokounmpo said. "That's why at the end of the game I almost got a little bit emotional because everybody talks about me but if the guys, my teammates, don't play hard in the third quarter, get stops and early in the fourth quarter knock down shots. If Andre wasn't guarding, if 'GT' wasn't knocking down shots, if 'TP' didn't score those five points, if Brook (Lopez) isn't blocking the shots, there's no way we are in this position that we are today, for the end of the game. They definitely give me energy to continue to do what I do for them."

Detroit fell to 5-8.

Antetokounmpo recorded his ninth regular-season game in which he scored at least 50 points, and he got there in part by having his best free throw performance of the season by going 16-for-17. Cade Cunningham kept the Pistons in it by scoring 35 points and pulling down 11 rebounds. Former Bucks guard Malik Beasley scored 26 for Detroit.

Pistons center Isaiah Stewart was ejected in the third quarter for committing a Flagrant 2 on Antetokounmpo.

Incredible plays by Bucks, Pistons highlight frenetic fourth quarter

After Milwaukee wrested some semblance of control of the game at 103-96 with under five minutes to go in the regulation, Detroit tied the score with an 8-1 run. Over the final 3 minutes, 7 seconds, each team made incredible plays to put the crowd at Fiserv Forum on edge:

• 2 minutes, 25 seconds: Cunningham hit a pull-up 23-footer to give Detroit a 106-104 lead

• 1:18: Prince slid in for a layup for a 108-106 Bucks lead.

• 1:11: Jalen Duren threw down a lob dunk on Brook Lopez to tie game.

• 51.8 seconds: Prince hit a three-pointer for a 111-108 Bucks lead.

• 25.7: Marcus Sasser hit a shot-clock-beating 26-footer off a pass from Cunningham, who was seated after Trent nearly stole it at halfcourt to tie the game 111-111.

• 2.2: Prince missed a wide-open corner three for the lead.

• 1.0: Antetokounmpo was called for a personal foul contesting an inbound lob to Ron Holland II after a long review.  Holland II missed both free throws to send the game to overtime.Rivers: “Uh, I’m going to stay away from that one because that clearly was not a foul. I think we all know that. But, yeah, yeah. That’s all I got.”Antetokounmpo: "I don't want to say anything, I don't want to get fined. But at the end of the day when you have a chance, a player goes up to the free throw line and missed both, you have a chance. And you realize at that point that you gotta take the game, that you're not going to have an opportunity. I feel like coming out of the end of regulation and going to the overtime we came out aggressive."

Gary Trent Jr. finds a spark in third quarter

Trent has not had much luck in his first few weeks with his new team, as the shooting guard began the year mired in a terrible slump, then suffered back spasms, and then found his minutes taken up upon his return.

He played 11 minutes in the first half Wednesday and didn’t attempt a shot as the Bucks fell behind by 13 points.

With Milwaukee in dire need of a spark Trent helped light his team up by going 3-for-3 – including 2 three-pointers – in scoring eight points in a 38-point Bucks third quarter that saw them take an 85-84 lead into the fourth quarter.

“It was great," he told the Journal Sentinel of the feeling of that third quarter. "Obviously just being out there and having an opportunity, taking advantage of it. From here on out, build off that, continue to keep going. We had a lot of guys out so everybody needed to step up and help get us the win. That’s what I did, so continue to just keep rolling, continue to keep flowing and go from here and don’t look back.”

Trent had not made a three-pointer since Nov. 2 against Cleveland.

“Gary can shoot and I kept saying it’s going to come at some point," Rivers said. "We had a little play exchange before the game and I turned to him and said will you just shoot the damn ball as a joke and he said ‘I’m ready.’ It was a joke but everybody started laughing and then he came out and shot the ball tonight. He needed to see the ball go in, period.”

Trent finished with a season-high 11 points and added a season-high three assists, along with strong perimeter defense in crunch time.

“It’s a testament to our will and our will to win," Trent said of the evening. "Everything I’ve been through in my seven-year career so far has prepared me for these moments, whether it’s starting, not starting, don’t play, play, so just be ready when your number is called and always put out a certain product when you touch the floor.”

Bucks brick way to first half deficit

In what can only be called a heavy statistical improbability, the seven Bucks players who saw court time around Antetokounmpo began the game 0-for-15 overall and 0-for-5 from behind the three-point line.

Yet by the time Pat Connaughton made an off-balance three-pointer to beat the shot clock at the 10-minute-13-second mark of the second quarter the Bucks were just down 31-28 because at that point Antetokounmpo was a remarkable 7-for-10 for 22 points.

“It’s rare," Rivers said of the cold shooting from the team against the hot shooting of Antetokounmpo. "He just kept us in the game singlehandedly with his play. We were trying to run stuff obviously. They knew what we had. They were up pressuring the ball and taking us out of our stuff.”

Unfortunately for the Bucks that made shot by Connaughton didn’t spark anything and Connaughton, Prince, Lopez, AJ Green and Jackson were a combined 6-for-27 (22%) for 19 points. They were a combined 4-for-13 from behind the three-point line.

“We’re all human," Prince said. "But it wasn’t more about not getting a shot, it was more about us being down, losing and trying to figure out way to crack the lead. So when we did that I think emotions and stuff kind of calmed down and we were able to settle down and run through our plays and execute on both ends.”

Milwaukee was down 60-47 at the break because Antetokounmpo kept the Bucks somewhat connected to the Pistons, finishing the first half with 28 points on 10 of 17 shooting and was 8-for-8 from the free throw line. Lopez was 3-for-4 from the line to score 10 points in the opening half.

Detroit was 8-for-13 (61.5%) from behind the three-point line and shot 53.5% (23-for-43) overall in the first half, but had to use mini 7-0 runs early and late in the first half to build their 13-point advantage.

Antetokounmpo nearly scored every point for the Bucks in the first quarter, banking 22 of the Bucks’ 24 points. Despite that imbalance in scoring, the Pistons led just 27-24 after one.

"We started off the game, we didn't shoot well," Connaughton said. "Everyone of the 50s, 40s, 60s (-point games from Giannis) are incredible to see. I've been fortunate to see Giannis', I've been fortunate to see some of Dame's.

"I think when you look back on this one, it'll be hey, this was an important time for us as a team. So for him to do it in moment where yeah, it's a regular season game, yeah it's a Wednesday night, yeah it's off a back-to-back, it's a much better, it's a much improved Detroit pistons team from years past – but no Dame, no Bobby – we weren't shooting it great to start. It was needed. it was fun to watch, it was fun to be a part of, it was fun to see him have fun with it."

Milwaukee came into Wednesday night’s game 20^th in the NBA in three-point shooting (34.6%) and 13^th in field goal percentage (46.8%) – and that was with Prince and Green making more than 50% of their threes and Antetokounmpo making 61.6% of his shots.

Lillard (34.8%), Delon Wright (27.3%), Lopez (26.3%), Connaughton (25.8%), Portis (24.3%) and Trent (22.5%) all came into the game mired in career-worst shooting slumps from behind the three-point line.

And then even Green lost his touch the last two games after being inserted into the starting lineup. After making 23 of his first 38 three-pointers (60.5%) in his first nine games he went just 5-for-18 (27.8%) in the last two – including 1-for-4 vs. the Pistons.

5 numbers

• 2-0: Bucks record without Damian Lillard this season. They were 1-8 in games he missed last season.

• 10: Consecutive wins for the Bucks over the Pistons.

• 53: Consecutive three-pointers shot without taking a two-pointer by AJ Green to start his season – by far an NBA record to begin a season. He missed a contested three-footer on his second shot of the game against the Pistons to snap the streak. Atlanta’s Garrison Mathews took 35 straight three-pointers before taking a two in the 2023-24 season.

• 1,001: Career blocks for Giannis Antetokounmpo after recording two against Detroit.

• 1/3/2022: Last time Detroit beat Milwaukee, 115-106 at Fiserv Forum.

Is Giannis playing?

Yes, per Bucks head coach Doc Rivers. He's been managing pain in his right patella all season and has yet to miss a game with the issue.

Damian Lillard injury update

All-star point guard Damian Lillard reported concussion-like symptoms and entered the NBA’s concussion protocol Monday night after being struck in the head during the game against Boston on Nov. 10.

Rivers said Lillard woke up Wednesday with a headache after passing "most" of his return-to-play testing on Tuesday night.

Lillard was inadvertently hit in the face by a referee waving off a late shot after time expired in the third quarter of the Bucks' loss to the Celtics on Sunday. He did play nearly seven minutes in the fourth, going 0 for 2 from the floor. He reported headaches on Monday.

Lillard was publicly entered into the NBA concussion protocol via the Bucks at 8:16 p.m. Nov. 11 and was immediately ruled out for Tuesday's game. There was some belief that he could be available vs. the Pistons, but he was ruled out Wednesday afternoon.

What is the NBA concussion protocol?

Per the NBA concussion policy, if a player is diagnosed with a concussion he must be monitored for 24 hours and may begin physical activity after that period. If the player is indeed diagnosed with a concussion, "he cannot return to full participation without restrictions: (i) for at least 48 hours after the time of injury; and (ii) until after he completes the required return-to-participation process."

Read the 2024-25 NBA concussion protocol here.

What channel are the Bucks on?

The game tips off at 7 p.m. on FanDuel Sports Network with Lisa Byington, Marques Johnson and Melanie Ricks on the call.

Bucks injury report

• Khris Middleton, out (surgery on both ankles)Rivers: "No (setback). He's just progressing and going along. I mean, I don't know what the return date was or if there was one set so what we're doing is trying to get him healthy so when he's ready to play he's ready to play. As I've jokingly said a million times, 'Doc's a nickname.' I don't really know. I just check in with the medical team and they tell me the same stuff, like he's getting there, he's getting closer and basically I relay the same stuff to you. I don't get involved, as I've told you many times. I don't think it's a great place for a coach to be, is in the training room. Troy (Flanagan) comes in, gives me the report and I say 'thank you' and that's it. I check on Khris and guys who are injured about how they're feeling, more human stuff, 'cause Khris wants to play and he's frustrated that he's not. Ryan has a great game last night now he may be out, so he's frustrated and that's just how it works for a coach. It's more the mental stuff, the mental health than anything else."

• Damian Lillard, out (concussion protocol)

• Bobby Portis Jr., out (right elbow contusion)Analysis: Portis tested out his right elbow during warmups and it was determined he would have to miss the game with right elbow bruise. Two-way player Liam Robbins and rookie Tyler Smith are the reserve big men behind Brook Lopez and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

• Ryan Rollins, out (left shoulder instability)

• Giannis Antetokounmpo, probable (right patella tendinopathy)

Bucks starters

• Guards: Delon Wright, AJ Green

• Forwards: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Taurean Prince

• Center: Brook Lopez

Bucks vs. Pistons odds, over/under

Milwaukee is just a 5.5-point favorite over Detroit, and the over/under is 216.5 points per BetMGM.

What is the Bucks schedule?

• Tonight vs. Detroit, 7 p.m.

• Saturday at Charlotte, 2 p.m.

• Nov. 18 vs. Houston, 7 p.m.

• Nov. 20 vs. Chicago, 6:30 p.m.

• Nov. 22 vs. Indiana, 7 p.m.**Emirates Cup game

This story was updated to add a video.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Giannis scores 59 points in Bucks' overtime victory over Pistons