Bucks at Knicks
Milwaukee looks to end another ill-timed slide and inch closer to a
playoff berth when it visits New York on Friday. The Bucks enter with a
magic number of two to clinch a spot in the postseason for just the
third time in nine seasons, but they have backed toward that goal and
still have a chance to slip into seventh or even eighth.
Sixth-place Milwaukee holds a two-game lead over both Boston and Brooklyn, although the Bucks own tiebreakers with both teams. If and when Milwaukee locks down the sixth seed, it will avoid a first-round matchup with Cleveland, which traveled to knock off the Bucks 104-99 on Wednesday. Michael Carter-Williams scored 30 points and handed out eight assists to lead the way for Milwaukee, which plays its final four games of the regular season against sub-.500 teams. The Knicks dropped a 102-86 decision at home against Indiana on Wednesday to bolster their chance to finish with the worst record in the NBA; New York has a one-game lead over Minnesota for last place with four to play.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee), MSG (New York)
ABOUT THE BUCKS (38-40): Milwaukee hung tough against Cleveland despite the absence of forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was mysteriously benched after playing in 145 straight games. Head coach Jason Kidd indicated that Antetokounmpo, a starter 64 times this season, was healthy but would not elaborate on the reason for the decision. The second-year pro has averaged 15 points on 60 percent shooting and 7.7 rebounds in just 26.7 minutes against the Knicks this season, helping Milwaukee win all three encounters.
ABOUT THE KNICKS (15-63): Friday marks the last game New York will play against a team that is still fighting for something, as two of its final three opponents are eliminated from playoff contention and the third - Atlanta - has been locked into the top spot in the East for several days. That did not make much of a difference against Indiana, but the Knicks at least talked about the need to be prepared for such opponents. "We just had to be ready for it and tonight we let ourselves get behind the 8-ball and just couldn't answer the bell," said guard Langston Galloway, who had a team-high 19 points.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Knicks PG Shane Larkin has missed 10 straight 3-pointers since going 3-of-5 from beyond the arc at Toronto on March 22.
2. Bucks SG O.J. Mayo scored 22 points in 24 minutes against New York in the previous meeting Jan. 15, a game that was played in London.
3. Galloway has scored in double figures in seven of his last eight games, with the one single-digit effort coming in New York's only win during that stretch.