The Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Detroit Pistons 110-108 at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Monday to secure their sixth straight win since the 2022-23 regular season began.

The Bucks are currently the only undefeated team in the league, but that didn't discourage the visiting Pistons from challenging the NBA's leading team. Cade Cunningham shot 5-for-9 in the mid-range, making Brook Lopez pay for not being able to close out. Jade Ivey kept charging the Bucks' paint with his speed and went 7-for-8 under the rim.

It's true that the two still have a lot to work on the details of their performances – Cunningham's poor control of turnovers plus Ivey's lack of shooting range – but they already know how to cause trouble for the opponents, despite playing against the top defense of the Bucks. Their incredible energy in addition to the solid offensive contribution of Bojan Bogdanovic, helped the team crawl out of the first-quarter's 11-point deficit quickly and keep the game close.

The Bucks also had themselves to blame for Monday's struggling performance at home on Monday night. Giannis Antetokounmpo played less than 32 minutes on the court, only the third longest on the team's roster. It fit coach Mike Budenholzer's intention to manage his load, but also had a lot to do with his poor control of fouls. Having committed two personal fouls in the final quarter, Antetokounmpo was unable to stay on the floor consistently to play an integral defensive role for the Bucks. It was in this quarter that the Pistons led 31-22, nearly claiming a comeback win.

The Bucks were lucky to have Jrue Holiday, who shot 5-for-6 in the first quarter for the team to enjoy an early lead and then drained two valuable triples in the four quarter for the Bucks to find their footing. He also delivered 10 assists, making sure that Lopez and Bobby Portis were both well-fed on the offensive end.

The difficult win on Monday again revealed how much the Bucks need Khris Middleton, who hasn't played any game this season due to left wrist ligament surgery. Unlike Antetokounmpo, who doesn't shoot well outside the paint, or Holiday, who has ceased to shoot much in the mid-range in recent years, Middleton is a first-class isolation player who can score steadily without having to launch attack in certain spots. His presence on the court can stretch the spacing for Antetokounmpo and give Holiday more passing options.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Middleton will be out for the first few weeks of the 2022-23 regular season.

Other games on Monday (away teams come first):

Indiana Pacers 109-116 Brooklyn Nets

The Nets got the revenge for the home loss two days ago. They started well with a 33-18 lead at the Barclays Center on Monday, but watched 25-year-old sophomore Chris Duarte make three triples to lead the Pacers on an aggressive counterstrike in the second quarter. Bennedict Mathurin, who scored 32 points the last time the two teams met, joined Duarte in the third quarter with 11 points.

However, this time, the Nets stood up to the pressure. Irving went 5-for-6 in field goals (FGs) for 13 points in the second quarter before Kevin Durant shot 6-for-7 to contribute 13 points in the third quarter, making sure that their team didn't crumble. Then in the final quarter, the Nets reproduced their defensive concentration from the first quarter, forcing five turnovers by the Pacers and limited them to shoot 2-for-9 from downtown. Moreover, though the Nets didn't have the hottest touch, they were aggressive enough to earn eight free throws and made seven of them in this quarter.

Ben Simmons sat out Monday's game for the Nets, just for your information.

Atlanta Hawks 109-139 Toronto Raptors

It's not too surprising that the Hawks lost to the Raptors. For the Hawks, who rely heavily on two guards to run their offense, facing a Raptors team that can send a group of forwards with size, power and athleticism onto the court puts them at a disadvantage. The Hawks committed as many as 18 turnovers, 10 of which came from their ace Trae Young, who went 3-for-13 from the field.

Nonetheless, it is still impressively rare for the Raptors to score 43 points via fastbreak. They had six players score at least five points in transition. The whole game nearly became a series of repeats of stolen passes, driving to the front court, and then scoring easy shots. Pascal Siakam didn't shoot well as he missed 13 of 21 FG attempts, but still had 31 points after making 13 free throws as well as 12 rebounds and six assists.

Houston Rockets 93-95 Los Angeles Clippers

Paul George kept the Clippers from suffering their fifth loss in eight games by dropping 35 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, six steals, two blocks and five 3-pointers at Crypto.com Arena. When his team trailed 93-90 with less than one minute to go in the fourth quarter, George made a quick three from the top of the key to tie the score. Then he stole Eric Gordon's ball in the following possession. After a timeout, George faced Gordon, drove to the right baseline with a spin and made the game-winning fadeaway jumper for the Clippers.

Without Kawhi Leonard or John Wall on Monday night, George's teammates shot 22-for-61 in FGs, committed only 15 assists with 10 turnovers. But he carried the team on his shoulders during every minute he was in the game. Though George said he is OK playing second-in-command after Leonard, he didn't seem to mind playing the hero when he had to.

Sacramento Kings 115-108 Charlotte Hornets

Philadelphia 76ers 118-111 Washington Wizards

Memphis Grizzlies 105-121 Utah Jazz