Last Monday, November 2nd, saw the New York Knicks defeat their city rivals, the Brooklyn Nets, 103-90, which would be the start of a current three-game win streak. New York dominated the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, defeating them by 30 points. On Saturday, the Knicks got the job done in an Eastern Conference Finals rematch from a year ago against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Now, New York is looking to win a fourth consecutive game in a matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks, who are coming into this game with a 1-9 record, the worst in the East. Can the Knicks get the win and a full force of momentum on their side heading into a second game against the Cavaliers Wednesday night, or will the Bucks pick up a much-needed second win?
Over the past few games, the Knicks are slowly looking like the championship-caliber team they were a year ago. Against Chicago and Cleveland, Jalen Brunson poured in 30-plus points, while Karl-Anthony Towns has recorded a double-double in New York’s first nine games of the season. OG Anunoby continues to struggle shooting the ball and being the team’s third option, but continues to be a force on the defensive end. The same could be said for Mikal Bridges, who has severely struggled early on to find an offensive groove. Even with them being crowned NBA Champions a year ago, the Knicks offense has started from scratch, and it’s taken time for this team to gel together once again.
We knew heading into the 26-27 season that the loss of Giannis Antetokounmpo was going to affect the Bucks in a big way. Yet, this team still has some solid pieces in Tyler Herro, Myles Turner, and Kyle Kuzma, and even with those great players, Milwaukee has gone from a force to easy pickings for opponents. The Bucks have not won a game since October 26th, as they’ve played some great all-around teams such as the Houston Rockets, Boston Celtics, Minnesota Timberwolves, Toronto Raptors, and the Cavaliers. Herro leads the team with 21 points a game; however, Milwaukee as a whole ranks in the bottom five in terms of points, steals, field goal percentage, free throws made, free throws attempted, and true shooting percentage.
Brunson and Towns need to provide consistency to the Knicks’ offense. Seeing Towns record his 10th double-double of the season not only provides stability but also brings a ton of confidence to the team and the six-time all-star. If Anunoby and Bridges can have somewhat better shooting performance than they have, that should be a plus going forward. Landry Shamet and Jordan Clarkson must be the offensive sparks off the bench, while Andre Drummond commands the glass when Towns is on the bench. Dalton Knecht scored 10 points in the win over the Bulls, yet didn’t score against the Cavs; a big shooting night for the 25-year-old should bring confidence to his teammates as the season progresses.
For the Bucks, they need to see more out of Kuzma, who is currently averaging around 12 points a game. Behind Herro’s 21 points a game, Jaime Jaquez Jr. is averaging 15 points a game, yet Milwaukee needs a legitimate second and third option. Whether Herro’s the first option and everyone else follows suit, or finding someone who is going to be that crucial scorer for this franchise post-Antetokounmpo. Kuzma needs to be a reliable third option, and Jaquez Jr. needs to progress from being a 15-point-game scorer. Perhaps, 21-year-old Brayden Burries or 19-year-old Nate Ament can eventually find their way into this Bucks offense that needs all the help it can get.
This should be a Knicks win for the taking as they’re playing at home and against a team that has struggled in their first few games of the new season. New York needs to find consistency and outfight any runs Milwaukee tries to put on. The Knicks need to fight for this win even against a struggling team, as they are struggling offensively at times, which could hurt them in big games. I am expecting a 112-97 New York win at MSG on Tuesday night.
