Emotions were flying around Fiserv Forum on Wednesday night.

There were heated exchanges, technical fouls and boos from the stands.

And then finally exaltation.

After Giannis Antetokounmpo was ejected in the third quarter, the Milwaukee Bucks had to scrap for a 120-118 victory over the Detroit Pistons that will be remembered for its strangeness.

The Bucks improved to 5-2 after their third straight win, and the Pistons fell to 2-7. It’s the first game of a back-to-back, as the Bucks head to Indianapolis on Thursday to play the Indiana Pacers.

“Another huge night as far as finding a way to win,” Bucks head coach Adrian Griffin said. “I thought it was a gutsy victory. A lot of guys stepped up.”

A lot of whistles from referees

The Bucks took a 24-23 first quarter lead following a slow start for both teams, as the Bucks were 2-for-10 from behind the three-point line and the Pistons missed all seven of their three-point attempts.

Bobby Portis added some juice for the Bucks in the second quarter with a 13-point outburst to help Milwaukee take a 62-52 lead into the break.

The crowd went wild as Portis Һit turnaround jumpers.

“Let him go,” Griffin warned. “His enthusiasm spreads. Don’t be confused. A heater shouldn’t be removed, but he did. He had the hоt hand, so you fed him.

“Not just оffensive. His defense is competitive. Pressing the ball. His enthusiasm is great. His revival. Was huge for us.”

Second-quarter emotions rose. Jae Crowder and Isaiah Stewart received two technical fouls for arguing. For arguing with officials, Antetokounmpo got his first technical, and Brook Lopez got one for yelling from the bench following his third personal foul.