The New York Knicks found themselves back in the win column Friday with a statement victory, defeating the Milwaukee Bucks in a wire-to-wire blowout by a score of 116-94. The Knicks snap their two-game losing streak and improve to 4-4 on the season while the Bucks continue their treacherous start and fall to 2-7 on the year.
Karl-Anthony Towns continued his dominant stretch for the Knicks
Karl-Anthony Towns continues to put on a clinic offensively, as he recorded his seventh straight double-double with 32 points (27 in the first half), 11 rebounds, five assists, and shot 12-for-20 from the floor and 4-for-8 from three.
Towns is playing like the superstar he was advertised to be and has contributed to the team’s continued success offensively. Over his last five games, the seven-footer is averaging 29.6 points and 14 rebounds on 53% shooting both from the floor and three.
The Bucks tried couldn’t contain Towns at either level of the court. Milwaukee center Brook Lopez was tasked with guarding him in the early portion, and Towns simply overmatched him, beating him off the dribble and knocking down threes in the pick-and-pop game.
The Knicks were dialed in as a unit on both ends
New York put on an incredible display of playmaking against Milwaukee. They recorded 35 assists as a team and turned the ball over just seven times. They also capitalized on fastbreak opportunities, scoring 19 points in that area compared to the Bucks’ eight fastbreak points.
The synergy on the court allowed them to get plenty of open looks from all levels of the court. The Knicks shot 47% from the floor in this game, continuing their efficient scoring through the early part of the season.
Defensively, the Knicks made up ground after two tough road losses. New York outrebounded Milwaukee 48-41 and did a nice job at limiting the Bucks’ superstar duo of Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Lillard struggled to score in this one, as he finished with 19 points and shot 0-for-4 on his three-point attempts, including two airballs.
Jalen Brunson’s shooting woes continued
Despite the large margin of victory, Jalen Brunson has still struggled to find his footing on the scoring front. He finished with just 15 points on 6-for-14 shooting from the field and 0-for-5 on his three-pointers.
The good news, however, is that Brunson was impactful in practically every other area, which allowed the Knicks to maintain a comfortable lead throughout. Brunson recorded nine assists and did not turn the ball over, which is a great sign after his abysmal three-turnover performance against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday.
Overview
The Knicks seem to win big when all of their pieces are clicking. All five starters scored in double figures for the seventh consecutive game, which is a franchise record (h/t Knicks PR team on X).
Additionally, their average margin of victory is 21.5 points and they have their opponent to under 100 points in three of their four wins so far this season. This was a win the Knicks needed to have after a grueling 2-2 road trip, but it will not be long before they head back on the road again, as their next opponent awaits them in Indiana as they will face the Pacers on Sunday evening.