The Bucks rebounded from their dismal showing in the second quarter but just couldn't keep pace with the Pistons, who pulled away to win 127-100 game. Amir Johnson is particular stood out – again – finishing with 13 points and six boards, two steals and two blocks. As Flip Saunders described it in his post-game press conference, "He's leapfrogging, every game."

He should continue to shine during the team's four-game road trip out west, especially considering Phoenix and Denver (whom the Pistons face on Sunday and Monday, respectively) like to run, which is Johnson's strong suit.

Walter Herrmann has always had a following at the Palace – I think the fans are as impressed with his hair as anything else – but with Primoz Brezec gone he's solidified his status as the team's new human victory cigar. The reception he got just for entering the game was impressive, and it only got louder once he started making plays. In just five minutes, Herrmann scored five points, grabbed an offensive board and forced a turnover by drawing a foul.

Most unusual play of the game: Rasheed Wallace making four consecutive free throws, including two technicals called on Milwaukee. For one, he's usually the one getting T'd up, and secondly, when the calls do go Detroit's way, Chauncey Billups or Rip Hamilton are almost always the ones who take the shots. But yeah, it was just that kind of night.

You have to feel for the Bucks right about now -- they got drilled tonight and things won't get any easier tomorrow, when they return home to host the run-and-gunning Nuggets. It's almost not fair.

Couple of random notes I forgot to mention before the game: I think the Pistons got the better end of the Primoz Brezec for Juan Dixon swap, but I'm going to miss seeing Brezec on the bench. For most of the last month or so, I've been stationed behind the Pistosn bench during games, and the guy always cracked me up. He rarely played but was always happy, the first to jump off the bench with his hands in the air when a teammate hoisted a three-ball (he was so quick, in fact, it seems he jumped the gun more times than not and was caught standing after a miss).

Plus, it was always funny to watch his interactions with the season ticket holders sitting right next to him – when they were slow to get to the game, he'd usually be sprawled across a couple of their seats (which have about three times the cushioning as the bench) until they arrived. When they eventually arrived, it always cracked me up to see him have to get up and search for a seat elsewhere on the bench.

The Pistons reserves always huddle up and dance immediately after introductions, with Rasheed Wallace eventually making his way to the middle of the circle and hyping everybody up. Juan Dixon was eating it up – he didn't exactly have the entire routine down like the rest of the bench, but he was laughing the whole time once Rasheed joined the fray.

As for the actual game ... yeah, I think it's safe to say the Pistons finally brought the energy. They already have 65 points at the break. The Bucks were actually leading 35-33 after one, but Detroit clamped down in the second and allowed Milwaukee to score just 11 points. Yeah, it's been that bad for the Bucks. Chauncey Billups already has 18 points, Wallace three blocks and Amir Johnson seven points off the bench. The Bucks are desperate for some help off the bench – they have just three points from their non-starters, which isn't going to cut it tonight.

That's all for now – check back after the game for the rest of my thoughts about the game.

First things first: Flip Murray has been waived. The writing had been on the wall for a while, but it became official today, one day after the acquisition of Juan Dixon from the Toronto Raptors. For more, see my article about it.

Speaking of Dixon, he met with the press briefly before tonight's game. I'll have his actual quotes up late tonight or early tomorrow, but basically he's happy to get out of Toronto and excited to join the Pistons. Part of the reason he was unhappy with the Raptors was a lack of minutes. Obviously things won't get much easier for him in that department with the Pistons, but he'll at least have a chance to come in and compete with Arron Afflalo.

Jarvis Hayes was teammates with Dixon several years ago in Washington and should help make the transition a bit easier. Some of the beat writers chatted with Jarvis following Dixon's mini-press conference and he sounded excited about the reunion. He said he called Dixon last night when he heard about the trade and already started helping explain some of the offensive sets.

Again, more on that later, but Hayes sounds pretty confident that Dixon will fit in. We could find out as soon as tonight – Dixon is dressed and active for the Pistons, wearing his new No. 8 jersey. That's all for now – check back at halftime and after the game for my thoughts from courtside.