The Knicks dropped their second straight road game on Tuesday night, as they watched a double-digit halftime lead disappear in a vexing 121-111 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum.

Here are the takeaways...

-- The Knicks immediately made a concerted effort to play up-tempo, and that new-look pace gave their opponent some fits. They orchestrated a swift 13-0 run midway through the first quarter with nine points from Jalen Brunson, and the dry spell forced the Bucks to burn a timeout. But the break in action helped the Bucks regroup, and a sudden eight-point swing in their favor knotted the score at 18-18 with 3:37 remaining in the period. Through 12 minutes, the Knicks found themselves trailing by one, 27-26, despite 15 points from Brunson. They also shot a measly 1-of-10 from three.

-- New York struggled to find a rhythm on both ends of the floor early in the second quarter, and a brief 9-3 run from Milwaukee prompted head coach Mike Brown to call another timeout. His message from the bench must've been constructive, as the Knicks cut at their deficit until a three-pointer from Landy Shamet -- making his first start with the team -- made the score an even 41-41 with 7:30 left in the first half. From there, the Knicks built a 12-2 run in under two minutes with some assistance from OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges, and by halftime, they held a steadier 71-59 lead.

-- Karl-Anthony Towns, who entered Tuesday questionable with a quad strain, was practically a ghost on offense in the first half. He took just one shot and scored four points in 16 minutes of action. But much to the Knicks' delight, the presence of Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo wasn't profound either, as he was held to a somewhat quiet 14 points in the same amount of time as Towns.

-- The key second-quarter difference was a resurgence in three-point shooting from the Knicks -- they made eight in the period to improve their clip to a strong 45 percent (9-for-20). The total attempts from three set New York well on pace to meet Brown's established mandate of 40-plus per game. Their 71 points in the first half were also a season-high.

-- The Bucks opened the second half with seven unanswered points, and it took nearly three minutes for the Knicks to produce their first third-quarter bucket. Shamet's fourth three of the night bumped the Knicks' lead back to eight, 79-71, at the 8:10 mark, but the Bucks responded with five straight points that ignited the crowd and once again forced Brown to call a timeout. There was a clear reminder of Antetokounmpo's game-changing talents before the 60-second break -- he swatted a layup attempt from Bridges and then hustled down to the other end for an emphatic dunk.

-- A three from Ryan Rollins then increased Milwaukee's run to 8-0, making the score 79-79 with 6:35 remaining, and just 45 seconds later, another deep shot from the fifth-year guard placed them ahead by one, 82-81. Brunson didn't make his first field goal of the quarter until the 4:14 mark, and while his points total sat at a laudable 30 after three, the Knicks found themselves behind, 94-91. The Bucks simply ran their offense through Antetokounmpo in the period, and he scored nearly one-third (12) of their 35 points during the 12-minute stretch. The Knicks' double-digit halftime lead evaporated.

-- Both teams exchanged buckets for the first four-plus minutes of the final quarter, and the Knicks didn't reclaim the lead until the 7:15 mark, when Bridges forced a turnover and then drew a foul on a made layup. The biggest scare of the night arrived shortly thereafter, when Brunson appeared to tweak his right hamstring or groin area while trying to create separation against tight defense. With bated breath, the Knicks called timeout to assess their captain, but the apparent injury didn't knock him out -- he was ready to check back in immediately after the break.

-- Over the next few minutes, the Bucks took full control, scoring six straight points to push their lead to 109-103. Rollins then extended his point total to a career-high 23 on a mid-range jumper with 2:36 left in regulation, and by the 1:02 mark, a three from Gary Trent Jr. gave the Bucks a cushioned 10-point lead that they didn't relinquish. The Knicks were outscored by 22 points in the second half, and a patent lack of offense from Towns and Anunoby (17 combined points on 5-of-23 shooting) placed too much pressure on a roughed-up Brunson, who finished with a thankless 36 points.

-- Shamet made the most of his first start with the Knicks, scoring a season-high 16 points on four made threes. Bridges led the team in minutes (39) and trailed only Brunson in points (24). Josh Hart managed to log 26 minutes off the bench, but he contributed just a single made three with four rebounds and assists apiece. The Knicks shot exactly 40 threes, but made only four in the second half. They also struggled in transition, committing 13 turnovers and allowing the Bucks to score 21 fast-break points.

Game MVP: Giannis Antetokounmpo

The spotlight naturally belonged to the Bucks' leader, who wound up scoring a game-high 37 points with eight boards and seven assists across 33 minutes. He's scored 30-plus in four straight games to start the season.

Here are the takeaways...

Game MVP: Giannis Antetokounmpo

Highlights

Popular in the Community