Milwaukee Bucks Game Preview: Jan. 6 vs New York Knicks
Dec 5, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) drives for the basket against Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) in the second quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
The Milwaukee Bucks just beat the New York Knicks on the road, now it’s time to face them again, this time in Milwaukee.
The Milwaukee Bucks have won three games in a row after a dramatic buzzer beating shot by Giannis Antetokounmpo gave them a W in New York against the Knicks on Wednesday. Now Milwaukee can make it four by taking care of those same New York Knicks in the BMO Harris Bradley Center on Friday.
These wins have mattered for Milwaukee’s playoff standing, and although obviously most of the middle seeds are still absolutely in flux it’s nice to see the Bucks in sole possession of the sixth seed in the East some 34 games into the season.
Milwaukee needs to keep on winning to ensure the team qualifies for postseason play after all 82 regular season games, and taking down the Knicks again would help both in the win column and to build even more momentum in Milwaukee. Both things are important, even if the win numbers are more tangible.
The Knicks, who have now lost six consecutive games, will either show up desperate and ready to fight until the end or simply weary. This team was 16-13 on Christmas Eve, and hasn’t won a game since December 22nd.
To find out how both the red-hot Bucks and the ice-cold Knicks can win on Friday, we’ll go through major keys for both teams. Then it’s time to cover a Knick to watch, followed by predictions on the game.
Dec 21, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA;Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) drives to the basket against Milwaukee Bucks guard Tony Snell (21) during the first quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Major Key For Milwaukee: Guard The Three-Point Line
In the modern NBA this could be the major key for just about any team on any night, but guarding the three-point line was something Milwaukee struggled with in their last game against the Knicks.
The Bucks allowed New York to shoot over 46 percent from the field on Wednesday, and the Knicks made four more threes than Milwaukee did even though both teams shot 28 of them. It’s tough to win games while simultaneously losing the three-point battle.
Of course the Bucks did win the last contest, but it wasn’t exactly a domination–it took a major comeback and then a low-percentage, high-excitement fadeaway from Giannis. Without both of those things happening, the Bucks would not have escaped from New York with that win.
Milwaukee will take wins where they can get them, but that’s not the ideal victory. The Bucks are the better team out of the two involved here, and they can prove that by taking away the easy threes that helped the Knicks build their lead on Wednesday.
Dec 31, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; New York Knicks guard Derrick Rose (25) goes up for a shot against the Houston Rockets during the third quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports
Major Key For New York: Get To The Line
The one negative side effect of all the threes the Knicks were taking on Wednesday is that the team wasn’t able to get to the free throw line often. New York took just 12 free throws as a team, with only two coming from the bench.
Carmelo Anthony took eight, Joakim Noah took two and Mindaugas Kuzminskas took two. The Knicks will have to play more physical and work harder on getting to the charity stripe against the Bucks in Milwaukee to have a better shot of winning.
Milwaukee took 31 foul shots as a team, with Giannis and Jabari Parker combining to take 15, more than the entire Knicks team did. The 15 extra points the Bucks got from made free throws are obviously important, but there’s another problem with not getting to the line against Milwaukee.
One of the few ways left to stop Giannis is to get him in foul trouble. Few trips to the line likely means few called fouls, which means Giannis can play major minutes with no worries about him fouling out. Indeed, the Greek Freak only got called for two personal fouls against the Knicks, meaning he didn’t have to play careful or sit out crucial minutes due to foul trouble.
Jan 2, 2017; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) looks on during the second half against the Orlando Magic at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
Player To Watch: Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Anthony dropped 30 points on the Bucks on just 23 shots, in a vintage Melo performance. In a very on-brand move for the Knicks, they found a way to lose anyway.
More from Behind the Buck Pass
Melo was fantastic against the Bucks, adding 11 rebounds, seven assists and two steals. He did pretty much as much as could be asked of him, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough. The passing Carmelo did was inspired, and that’s something he needs to replicate more for New York to win more games.
This was merely the fifth game of the year when Melo recorded five or more assists, compared to 16 games where he’s taken at least 20 field goal attempts. More passing and ball movement should help the Knicks–it almost got them a win without Kristaps Porzingis in the game.
Also, a minor key to go with the major key: the Knicks should play Kuzminskas more. He’s fantastic. This dude ended the game tied for second in points, first in blocks and first in steals among the Knicks. Kuzminskas is good at picking off passes and can both shoot threes and go inside–he can flat-out play.
Jan 4, 2017; New York, NY, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) is congratulated after scoring the game winning basket at the buzzer against New York Knicks during the second half at Madison Square Garden. The Bucks won 105-104. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports
Finale
The Bucks didn’t play exceptionally well against New York last time, and they came out of Madison Square Garden with a win. If they do play well at home, they should have a very good shot of getting another one on Friday.
Milwaukee will need to watch out, though. Any time a team is on a big losing streak, they can become desperate. A desperate team is a dangerous team. The Knicks don’t just want a win here, they need one.
Potentially without both Joakim Noah and Kristaps Porzingis, it might not matter what the Knicks need. Still, the Bucks need to stay vigilant and watch out for New York on Friday night.
Predictions and Leaderboard:
Rohan Katti: Bucks by 10 — 24-10, 377 point differential
Adam Coffman: Bucks by 9 — 22-12, 387 point differential
Tom Pheister: Bucks by 13 — 21-13, 411 point differential
Adam McGee: Bucks by 27 — 21-13, 392 point differential
Jordan Treske: Bucks by 19 — 20-14, 446 point differential
Lukas Harkins: Knicks by 3 — 20-14, 399 point differential
Tim Wray: Bucks by 7 — 19-15, 406 point differential
Ti Windisch: Bucks by 10 — 17-17, 426 point differential
The game is on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. CT, and will be televised on ESPN.
