Game Thread: New York Knicks @ Milwaukee Bucks 3/11/2021 8:00 pm [Game #38]

All-Star Game MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks host Knicks

The Milwaukee Bucks answered a season-high five-game losing streak by winning six of their next seven contests heading into the All-Star break.

The Bucks look to continue that momentum on Thursday when they host the upstart New York Knicks.

While Milwaukee was nearly perfect during its recent stretch, Giannis Antetokounmpo indeed was flawless by making all 16 shots he attempted on Sunday to win his first NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award. Antetokounmpo finished with 35 points to lead Team LeBron to a 170-150 victory over Team Durant in Atlanta.

"I'm just playing one-on-one; nobody is double-teaming," Antetokounmpo said. "If you feel good, then I feel good that it will be good. I just get up and have fun and just try to get as many shots as I can."

Antetokounmpo appears to be having fun as he chases his third straight NBA MVP award. He is averaging team-best totals in points (29.0), rebounds (11.7), assists (5.9) and blocks (1.4).

Antetokounmpo collected 27 points, 13 rebounds and five assists in the Bucks' 130-110 loss to the Knicks on Dec. 27.

Khris Middleton scored 22 points in that game for Milwaukee, which was undone by a dismal 7-for-38 performance (18.4 percent) from 3-point range.

New York's Julius Randle recorded 29 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists in that contest. Randle averages team-best totals in all three categories (23.2 ppg, 11.1 rpg, 5.5 apg) for the Knicks, who have won eight of their last 11 games.

"He's turned into an All-NBA player. He's been a terrific leader," New York coach Tom Thibodeau said of Randle recently.

Randle also had a busy day on Sunday, as he participated in the Skills Competition, was used as a prop by teammate Obi Toppin in the Slam Dunk Contest and played 13 minutes in his first All-Star Game.

Randle, in fact, had no qualms with his limited playing time in the exhibition contest. After all, he has played in all 37 of the Knicks' games.

"I'm leading the league in minutes. It's a great thing. Trust me, I'm fine," Randle said, via the New York Post.

"It was great. Definitely everything I imagined to be part of it. I had a lot of fun, (was) excited. It's something I want to be part of a lot more. It was a great experience, the conversations. It's an experience I'll never forget -- the first one."

The way the Knicks are trending, Randle could also play a big role in taking the club to the playoffs for the first time since the 2012-13 season.

First things first, however. New York begins the second half of the season by starting a four-game road trip in Milwaukee, which sports a 14-5 record at Fiserv Forum. The Knicks have lost seven of their last 10 contests away from Madison Square Garden.

RJ Barrett and Elfrid Payton will be tasked with providing consistent secondary scoring for New York.

Barrett, who chips in 16.5 points per night on the season, has averaged 20.3 over his last four games.

Payton, who offers 12.7 points per contest in 2020-21, has scored 20 points in each of the last two contests. He erupted for 27 points on 12 of 16 shooting from the floor in the first encounter with the Bucks.

--Field Level Media

(STATS / cbssports.com)

Wsup Rady .. Thanks for the Game-Thread! Just our luck we have to host the MVP of the All-star game Mr. Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Our last meeting with the Bucks we won the game by playing our best defensive player Frank 10 straight minutes in the first half of the game to cripple the Bucks offense.
Tonight game may be different, the Bucks are rested & energized having all their players healthy for tonights game.
Let's go Knicks !!!

The Bucks starting 5. Freak BLo DD Middleton and Jrue shoud have a better record than they have, Jrue is back after 10 days on Covid protocol. Tough game for the boys but a W tonight should be a confidence boost.

Whoa, left hand hammer by RJ that you could hear going through the rim. Knicks have the early lead 9-3.

Damn Frank, "u missed a easy layup, plus both FT shots !!!
Way to much rest ....

We could've took the lead several times if we stop 5-15 shooting all these 3-ball shots .... I watch it, butt I hate the new NBA !!!

68-51 Bucks at the half. They bottled up our MVP JR, guarding JR mostly the job for the Freak the best defender in the league. Knicks gave up the second most points in the half this season when they gave up 70

What happen on the court the final 5 min before Half-Time .. Knicks 51 - Bucks 68
Thibs called timeout and inserted all the starters in the game with the score 42-46, and 5 min remaining before the Half.

Giannis strips JR at midcourt and dunks it. About a minute left in the third with the Bucks up 20, time to throw in the towel and audition those guys that we want to trade for the playoff push.

Someone needed to remind coach Thibs before the game bout Payton didn't do so well being Jrue Holiday's backup on the Pelicans .. that's how the Knicks got him & Randle from the bottom of the FA market.

tiger0330 said:

Giannis strips JR at midcourt and dunks it. About a minute left in the third with the Bucks up 20, time to throw in the towel and audition those guys that we want to trade for the playoff push.

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Well Thibs, Tonight's loss goes to u for underestimating Bucks coach Mike Budenholze high scoring offense (Giannis) without the Knicks young defensive center MitchRob.
The Bucks outscored us in all 4 quarters of the game tonight .. we actually sucked tonight !!!

The poor way the Knicks starters were performing the first 3 quarters of the game ..
The Spurs coach Pop would've gave the Knicks 2nd-unit (Frank, IQ, Knox, Obi, and Gibson/Noel) lineup the entire playing-time in the 4th quarter .. having the Knicks starters watching the entire 4th quarter from the bench.

A dose of reality tonight that confirms if the Knicks want to seriously challenge for a top 4 seed and home court advantage in the playoffs they’ll need to bring in some talent. Dip would be nice but only at the right price, no if they ask for RJ or Quick, I’d give them Payton, Knox and Bullock and a first.

Sending my Memo ....
Coach Thibs being top candidate for COY and Randle all-star celebration need to be over!
Tonight's 134-101 loss, and Randle's 7 pt performance vs Giannis 24 points did not look good on Knicks televisions. Tonight the Knicks defense allowed 134 points .. To much all-star break rest!

We fans wish the Knicks would run some plays for Obi (at least 5 plays a game).
Obi & IQ need a few plays run for them to get into a rhythm alongside their 2nd unit teammates.
Butt, then again we fans wish Thibs/Woodson ran more plays for the team, period.
We notice the majority of plays we see are a lot of standing around.
It's either a PNR or one on one (ISO) as the shot clock winds down.
That's all we fans see from Thibs offense for 48 minute .. Plus If the Knicks 3 ball shooting are not above 50% we are LOSERS !!!

This was an obvious loss... even more so after we stung them in NY. The team hung tough for a half...

Mavs almost beat OKC without Doncic or KP. So, I venture to posit that it is imperative... of the utmost importance that we beat the Thunder. Otherwise, we may be starting at 0-4 out of the gate and fading towards lottery ping pong irrelevance.

tiger0330 said:

A dose of reality tonight that confirms if the Knicks want to seriously challenge for a top 4 seed and home court advantage in the playoffs they’ll need to bring in some talent. Dip would be nice but only at the right price, no if they ask for RJ or Quick, I’d give them Payton, Knox and Bullock and a first.

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So far rookie Quickley's skills has become our best SG, then RJ, then Burks .... Olidipo's a SG only.
We should have Frank & IQ & Knox moving their feet and the ball at the top of the key on offense, just like Boston does with Walker Brown Tatum.
Thibs need to take Knox out of the cage, and let him work on chemistry within the 2nd-unit lineup, to build a bench chemistry lineup of combo-Frank, combo-IQ, F-Knox F-Obi and F-Gibson.
The Knicks starter lineup need lots of help vs regular season games.
For the Knicks to win a playoff series in the East they would have to trade for 2 or 3 players before deadline to put in the Knicks starter-lineup.