The New York Knicks came into Fiserv Forum looking to go 2 games over .500 as they prepared to face the undermanned Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks were without four of their starters. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday, Donte DiVincenzo, and Khris Middleton were all ruled out with injuries. The Knicks were also without two of their starters who were injured. Neither Julius Randle nor Reggie Bullock took the court tonight. Though injuries haunted the Bucks more, they let it be known that they would not make it an easy game. It came down to the wire.
The Knicks came out the gate with their foot on the gas as they took an early 9 point advantage. They made 5 of their first 8 buckets. The rest of the way, the team was able to hold on to the lead. The Knicks hit 6 three-pointers in the first quarter and shot 56% from the field. The Bucks tried to come back in the final minutes but would not be successful. It was a 32-25 game going into the second.
About 2 minutes into the second quarter, the Bucks took their first lead of the game. However, a Derrick Rose layup allowed the Knicks to retake the lead. The game tied twice along the way. The Knicks eventually found their niche again as they were up 5 with under 3 minutes remaining in the half. In the last 33 seconds, Jordan Nwora was sent to the line. He knocked in both of his free-throws to make it a three-point game. The Knicks were ahead 57-54 at the half.
Both teams opened the third quarter on a three-pointer frenzy. Elfrid Payton and RJ Barrett each had a three-pointer apiece. Sam Merrill of the Bucks had two back-to-back three-pointers on his own. It was a back and forth game up until the final 4 minutes of the quarter. Thanasis Antetokounmpo knocked down another three-pointer to give the Bucks their largest lead, ahead 73-70. However, the Knicks responded with an 11-4 run. The score at the end of the third was 81-77.
The Knicks took a 10 point lead two minutes into the fourth quarter. At the halfway point, the Bucks were able to shave five points off that lead. With 1:35 left in regulation, the game was tied at 96. Alec Burks entered the game and hit a three-pointer to give his team the lead back, with 1:19 remaining. The Bucks called a timeout with 14 seconds left. Their final timeout was used after Brook Lopez was called for a loose ball foul.
Frustrations were high, and Lopez ended up with a technical as well. Burks was then sent to the line to shoot a technical free throw and put it in. Following that play, he was inbounding for the Knicks. Barrett was the recipient, got double-teamed, and was the next to get sent to the line. He knocked in both free-throws to put the icing on the cake. It was a close one, but the Knicks beat the Bucks 102-96.
In the absence of Randle, both Burks and Barrett were the shining stars. Burks finished with a double-double consisting of 21 points and 10 rebounds. Barret also had his share of 21 points. Quickley and Rose had 13 points apiece. Rose has not played since February 28th at the Detroit Pistons. This was his first game back in almost a month after suffering from COVID-19. However, slowly but surely, he is getting used to being out there again. He played a successful 29 minutes.
“I did a lot of conditioning, a lot of three minute runs just try to get a rhythm,” Rose said of his rehab process. “With Thibs you have to be prepared by any means.”
On the other side of the ball, in Giannis’ absence, his brother Thanasis finished with a double-double also. He led the team with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Nwora recorded 21 points and 10 rebounds as well. He was the third player to put up a double-double in the game.
In the midst of the win, the Knicks were overshadowed by the news that Mitchell Robinson fractured his right foot. The time he will miss has not yet been determined. He will be evaluated when the team returns home. Nonetheless, coach Thibodeau tried to remain optimistic.
“Mitchell has been terrific for us, so you hate to see it. This is a very close-knit group,” he said. “You feel for Mitchell because of all the hard work that he put in, but he’ll be fine.”
Robinson just recently healed from a fractured right hand. He returned to the starting lineup in the first game versus the Wizards on Tuesday, March 23rd. In that game, he had 16 points and 12 rebounds. The Knicks will be praying for a miracle that his injury is not too bad.
Up Next
The Knicks will head back home to host the Heat on Monday, March 29th at 8:00pm.
The Bucks will fly to Los Angeles to take on Clippers on Monday, March 29th at 10:00pm.
