Giannis Antekonkoumpo broke the New York Knicks’ hearts with a late basket, leading Milwaukee to a slim victory at home.
- New York Knicks 90 (23-30)
- Milwaukee Bucks 92 (28-23)
- NBA, Final, Box Score
- BMO Harris Bradley Center
Giannis Antekounkoumpo’s layup with 1.9 seconds left thwarted a strong New York Knicks attempt at picking up their eighth road win of the season, leading the Bucks to a 92-90 victory.
The Greek Freak led all scorers with 29 points on 10-of-21 shooting, adding 11 rebounds, two assists, three steals and two blocks to finish off a solid all-around performance. Jabari Parker, making his first appearance since tearing his ACL on Feb. 8, 2017, scored 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting over 15 minutes of play.
Early on, the effort on both sides of the floor was positive. Enes Kanter continued to impress, finishing the first half with his 23rd double-double of the season, 11 points and 10 rebounds. For the Bucks, both Antetokounmpo and Parker finished the half in double figures.
? at the half.@zteusa Update:@Enes_Kanter: 11p | 10r@kporzee: 9p | 5r@T_HardJR: 6p
REB: 30 pic.twitter.com/oSTpkKGIhM
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) February 3, 2018
While Kanter continued his excellent play, finishing the game with 17 points on 8-of-13 shooting and 18 rebounds (eight on the offensive glass), neither Tim Hardaway Jr. nor Kristaps Porzingis was effective.
Hardaway Jr., who shot 1-for-10 against Boston, was dreadful in Milwaukee, finishing with just six points on 1-of-14 shooting, including an atrocious 0-for-9 from behind the arc. Porzingis wasn’t as bad, going 6-for-15 from the floor, but finished with a rather pedestrian 17 points and seven rebounds. He did, however, have a nice block on Antetonkoumpo in the third quarter with the Knicks down by two.
Protect that rim. pic.twitter.com/jPyBi4cgD1
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) February 3, 2018
Surprisingly, Trey Burke found himself on the bench for the entire game. Despite Burke’s recent production, Hornacek apparently wanted to go with the taller and longer Frank Ntilikina to match Milwaukee’s length and versatility.
Ntilikina had a decent game, scoring nine points, grabbing two rebounds, dishing five assists and recording one steal over 16 minutes of action.
As the trade deadline gets closer, fans will be wondering whether the Knicks will be buyers or sellers. Although the squad is still motivated, they may not have the talent needed to get back into the playoff picture.
