Bucks at Knicks
Things just keep getting worse for the New York Knicks, which may be what the organization wants right about now. The Knicks, perhaps more focused now on positioning themselves for the No. 1 pick, will try to avoid an 11th straight loss when the Milwaukee Bucks visit Sunday. The final realization on the state of the season may have come Friday when the club reluctantly came to the conclusion that it may be best to sit Carmelo Anthony for an extended period of time to rest his injured knee.
"From the conversations I've been a part of, I think everybody is smart enough to realize, calendar wise, timing wise, that there may come a point that that's the decision that needs to be made," New York coach Derek Fisher said Friday. "But [we realize] that we can't force Carmelo to that point just yet." In their latest debacle Friday, the Knicks were outscored in the third period 16-14 by Brandon Jennings alone and trailed by as much as 33 points in the 97-81 loss to the Detroit Pistons. The defeat extended the franchise record to nine consecutive losses at Madison Square Garden and was the 20th loss in the last 21 games overall.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee), MSG (New York)
ABOUT THE BUCKS (17-17): Milwaukee had its two-game win streak snapped Friday, 94-91 against Indiana, in an attempt to go two games over .500 for the first time this season. Milwaukee coach Jason Kidd announced that center Larry Sanders, who has missed five straight games with what was termed an illness, is actually out indefinitely due to personal reasons. "One guy goes down and coach has mentioned a lot of times, 'Next guy up,' Milwaukee forward Zaza Pachulia told the Milwaukee Sentinel Journal. "There's something good going on in this locker room, with this team, with this organization. We're going to keep it up and even get better. That's our goal."
ABOUT THE KNICKS (5-30): In addition to Anthony, the Knicks are expected to be without Amar'e Stoudemire (knee), Tim Hardaway Jr. (concussion), Iman Shumpert (shoulder) and Samuel Dalembert (ankle). As New York moves within two losses of the club's all-time record for consecutive defeats set in 1985, the Knicks appear to be battling 4-27 Philadelphia for the worst record in the NBA. "I think it is a combination of offensively, as we continue to evolve, some offensive frustration," Fisher said about the Knicks' problems. "Guys are not able to execute the things we do work on and things we know how to do. There is never one answer."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Bucks beat New York 117-113 on Nov. 18 as Pachulia had 14 points and 13 rebounds.
2. Bucks F Giannis Antetokuonmpo has two-plus blocks in six straight games.
3. Milwaukee is 10-10 on the road, including three straight wins against Atlanta, Charlotte and Cleveland.