The New York Knicks have a deer opportunity to make things right after this week’s Cleveland calamity.
New York will wrap up a three-game road trip on Friday night when it faces the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum. The trek began with a narrow win in Chicago on Sunday before the Knicks dropped a 109-94 decision in Cleveland two nights later.
Tuesday’s loss in Cleveland once again opened up questions about the Knicks’ ability to compete at a high level. New York kept things close in the early stanzas but lost its way with a dreadful third period that saw them hit only 3-of-24 from the field.
Karl-Anthony Towns had a perfect shooting night but had only five tries, while Mitchell Robinson helped keep things semi-respectable with a 16-rebound, 11-point double-double off the bench.
Milwaukee continues to work its way through a muddled year without franchise face and rumored recurring Knicks target Giannis Antetokounmpo, who remains sidelined with a calf strain.
The Bucks have inched back into Play-In Tournament consideration this month, having won five of their last six and eight of their last 10. They’re likewise coming off a showdown with the Cavs, but they prevailed by a 118-116 final thanks in part to 20 from Kevin Porter Jr.
This is the third and final meeting between the Knicks and Bucks this season. The two sides have split the first two meetings, each successfully defending its home floor. New York’s win, earned during NBA Cup group play, was punctuated with 37 points from Jalen Brunson, while Josh Hart scored 19 while pulling in 15 boards.
What: New York Knicks (37-22) @ Milwaukee Bucks (26-31)
Where: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, WI
When: Friday, 8 p.m. ET, MSG
Who’s Favored: NYK -8.5
Keep An Eye On: Mikal Bridges
Moving into the fourth quarter of the regular season, the Knicks have to use these relative final hours as research and development for what they hope is a lucrative postseason trip.
At the partial forefront will be Mikal Bridges, who has made an attempt to get more involved in the Knick offense as his late-game status becomes more of a talking point.
Over the last four games, however, Bridges is averaging only 12 points, partly sunk by a 31 percent success rate from three-point range in that span. A chance to handle business against lesser competition is a perfect opportunity for Bridges to inch back toward the right direction.
Buck to Watch: Jericho Sims
The Knicks have moved on from their major development at last year’s deadline, one that sent homegrown interior project Sims to the Midwest essentially in exchange for Delon Wright.
Milwaukee saw enough to retain Sims on a multi-year deal, and it’s reaping in the buried benefits: with Antetokounmpo sidelined, Sims has been a literal big part of the Bucks’ mini-resurgence, adding to a career-best season with 7.8 rebounds and 7.3 points in 11 February appearances.
He’s making his presence felt in the advanced department, as his offensive rating is seventh in the Association in the month among men with a minimum average of 20 minutes and 15 games played.
They Said It
“I truly believe it [that we are a championship team]. Now, having said that, there are things that have to go right. You got to be playing your best basketball. You have to be connected. The things that I talk about. You got to sacrifice. If you got guys on your team that aren’t sacrificing, you could be in trouble, because it’ll mess with your connectivity. Which is huge. You got to have a competitive spirit. You got to want to compete every night and you got to believe. You got to keep believing. Even when things are going bad.”—Knicks head coach Mike Brown (h/t Stefan Bondy, New York Post)
“We know the situation at hand: slipped down to, like, 13th seed, 12th seed at one point. So (we) wanted to just lock in on us. So much outside noise about trades, so much outside noise about everything else that doesn’t involve winning, it kind of puts a dark cloud over your locker room. It’s human nature to go out there and second-guess yourself. Human nature to be like, ‘Am I really going to be here?’ You know what I’m saying? Now the deadline’s over, guys can just go out there and hoop and just play free and do what’s needed to win.”—Bucks forward Bobby Portis (h/t Eric Nehm, The Athletic)
Prediction
The Knicks aren’t going to convince anyone of their championship mettle by the end of the weekend, but there’s still a prime opportunity to make things somewhat right. The more assured opportunities are dwindling.
March opens up with a gauntlet (including a Sunday visit from surging San Antonio), and the Knicks need to take advantage of whatever recuperative opportunities they have left on their docket. A bit of Milwaukee desperation could keep things closer than expected, but the Knicks have proven adept at handling business when they have to.
