The Milwaukee Bucks play the New York Knicks tonight in the first game of a back-to-back, still seeking their first road W of the season. Milwaukee’s rookies continue to look solid, with Brayden Burries stringing together some impressive performances as a starter, and Nate Ament finding the floor more and making the most of his minutes. The same cannot be said for Milwaukee’s bigs, however, as Myles Turner and Kel’el Ware have struggled lately and could use a bounce-back performance. The Knicks,
meanwhile, are 5-4 and, despite their relative success, don’t look close to what they did a few months ago on the biggest stage.
The Task Ahead
While it may not look like it at first, the Knicks are currently playing a more efficient, better version of the game the Bucks are playing. Both teams are heavily prioritizing rebounding and second-chance points, but over the last few games the two teams have swapped rankings: the Bucks were previously in the top five, and the Knicks have played to their strengths and now sit where the Bucks were. Even more striking is that, beyond Karl-Anthony Towns, who is off to an All-NBA-caliber start to the season, the Knicks’ frontcourt rotation is breaking down and has struggled overall. Landry Shamet is their current backup PF, and Andre Drummond hasn’t looked up to the level, struggling to finish at the rim and shooting just 42% from the field.
If it is a mirror, though, it may be a mirror into the future; one where a fully formed team can still make its lack of depth work. Despite these front-court limitations, the Knicks can still find their spots and shoot at a high percentage and volume. When you look at their shot charts on 3Step, it is clear that even when you know where they want to go, it doesn’t matter: they get to their spots and hit their shots. This is largely because of Captain Clutch himself, Jalen Brunson, who is leading the Knicks’ offense at 115.7 points per 100 possessions. Meanwhile, OG Anunoby is anchoring a stellar defense, holding opposing teams to 107.9 points per 100 possessions. There is no way around it: the Bucks will have their hands full trying to both contain New York’s offense and break through its defense. That said, should one of the Bucks’ guards be able to set the table better than we’ve seen in the last couple of games for the offense, and they win or keep close the rebound and second-chance points battles, there is a real chance Milwaukee can pull out the W. While it may sound lofty, the Bucks did both of those things against Minnesota and Toronto to carry leads late in the game.
Injury Report
Bucks:
- Tyler Herro: Questionable (knee)
Knicks:
- Josh Hart: Questionable (ankle)
Player to Watch
Going for a two-for-one here: both Kel’el Ware and Myles Turner need a get-right game. Turner arguably needs it more as a veteran, but both bigs have left a lot to be desired. There are probably many ways to dissect how bad it has been, but the eye test is enough; against Boston, Ware got tossed around by Robinson, and Queta had his way against Turner. If either big man bounces back tonight, it would go a long way toward the Bucks making it close late.
Projected Starters
Game Details
Who: Milwaukee Bucks (1-9) vs. New York Knicks (5-4).
When: 6:30 p.m. CST.
Where: Madison Square Garden—New York City, NY.
Watch: MY24.
Listen: Check local listings.
Prescient Prediction
Brayden Burries has been a major bright spot in an otherwise dreary stretch of basketball, and I expect him to be ready for the bright lights of the Big Apple with a 20/10/5 game!
