Knicks at Bucks
THE STORY: The Linsanity phenomenon that gripped the nation and
had the New York Knicks churning up the standings last month has faded
with the arrival of March. The Knicks have dropped three straight and
will look to avoid a winless road trip when they visit the Milwaukee
Bucks on Friday. New York holds a three-game lead over Milwaukee for the
final playoff spot in the East, but the Bucks have had their way with
the Knicks, winning seven of the last eight meetings.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, MSG (Knicks), FS Wisconsin (Bucks)
ABOUT THE KNICKS (18-21):
With center Tyson Chandler out of the lineup with an ailing hamstring,
New York looked defenseless and was steamrolled by San Antonio 118-105
on Wednesday. It was the sixth defeat in nine games for the Knicks, who
fell to 2-5 since star forward Carmelo Anthony returned to the lineup.
Seeking a spark, coach Mike D'Antoni benched guard Landry Fields for
rookie Iman Shumpert, who responded with a season low-tying two points.
Lin had his first 20-point effort in six games.
ABOUT THE BUCKS (15-24): Milwaukee absorbed a crushing 106-104 loss
to Chicago – its fourth in five games – when reigning MVP Derrick Rose
hit a buzzer-beater Wednesday. Forward Ersan Ilyasova had his seventh
double-double in 10 games, scoring a career-high 32 points and grabbing
10 rebounds. Ilyasova is averaging 18.0 points and 11.0 rebounds in the
10 games since he was inserted into the starting lineup. Center Drew
Gooden continued his recent hot streak with a season-high 27 points.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Milwaukee guard Brandon Jennings scored a season-high 36 points when the Bucks won at New York in January.
2. Chandler is not expected to play Friday. Backup forward Jared Jeffries (knee) will also sit out.
3.
Gooden has scored at least 23 points in four of the past five for
Milwaukee, which has won the last three meetings with the Knicks.