Bucks at Knicks
The Milwaukee Bucks are one of the most exciting teams in the NBA and will get a chance to showcase their talent to a national audience when they visit the New York Knicks on Christmas Day. The Bucks lead the NBA in scoring (116.9 points) and sit in second place in the East despite an uncharacteristic performance in a loss at Miami on Saturday.
Milwaukee knocked off the Boston Celtics 120-107 on Friday to extend a winning streak to four straight but did not have enough energy left over in a visit to the Heat the next night and fell 94-87 in the team's lowest-scoring performance of the season. "They hit us first, they were physical with us," Bucks star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo told reporters. "We came from a back-to-back, but that's not any excuse for us. We didn't make shots; we had a lot of open shots that didn't go in. Just being able to stick around and be in the game and have a chance to win says a lot about this team." The Knicks are at the opposite end of the spectrum in the East and come in losers of nine of 10 after squandering a 15-point lead in a 114-107 home loss to Atlanta on Friday. "For whatever reason, we are hitting walls in that third quarter," New York coach David Fizdale told reporters. "That's our new quarter, for some reason. We look fatigued, and we stop moving the ball. Everything that was sharp in the first half, kind of fades out in the second. We have to figure it out; I even try to get into the rotation earlier in the third just to see if I can get some fresh legs going."
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ABOUT THE BUCKS (22-10): Milwaukee doesn't doubt that it will find its way offensively and took pride in its effort on the defensive end in Saturday's setback. The Bucks held the Heat to 38.2 percent shooting and blocked nine shots to pull themselves back into the game after managing just eight points in the first quarter. "Our guys competed and kept coming back on a night where it was tough to buy a bucket," coach Mike Budenholzer said. "But I think the defensive effort and activity and competitiveness was in a great place. ... Just couldn't make a couple plays down the stretch, but I'm proud of the way the guys competed."
ABOUT THE KNICKS (9-25): New York is using 2018-19 as a rebuilding season and is looking for consistency from rookie swingman Kevin Knox. The Kentucky product finished with 24 points on Friday but 17 came in the first quarter as Knox went 1-of-9 from the floor over the final three periods. "That first half I was on fire," Knox told reporters. "I felt really good out there, making the right reads, making my shots. Then that second half was just something I've got to get better at. I'm not very happy with myself, the way I played in the second half. That's something I've got to really improve. I'm a rookie. I'm going to learn how to be able to fight through those moments, those tough times, and be able to stay hot, stay aggressive in the second half."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Antetokounmpo scored a season-low nine points on 3-of-12 shooting Saturday.
2. Knicks rookie C Mitchell Robinson (ankle) is expected to miss his fifth straight game on Tuesday but could join the team on a six-game road trip starting Thursday.
3. Milwaukee dropped a 136-134 decision in overtime at New York on Dec. 1 despite 33 points, 19 rebounds and seven assists from Antetokounmpo.