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Game 25: New York Knicks v Milwaukee Bucks (Review)
Actual Score: 107-101
By: Malcolm Merritt
Email: mjmerritt23@gmail.com
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| The Knicks survived in their double-overtime matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks. |
On the same night that the two best teams in the Eastern
Conference were battling in the warmth of downtown
Miami, the two worst teams in the same conference were dueling in wintry
setting of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Knicks (8-17)
played the Bucks
(5-20) in a game that was dictated by mistakes and defense. New York was
able to take the game in the second overtime, 107-101. Many Knicks fans saw it
as a one of the most trying games of the season.
The Knicks were playing in a close contest the entire game.
They never had a lead that they could sustain. The return of Tyson Chandler
made a huge difference. In his return to action after 5 weeks of recovering
from his broken leg, he played 37 minutes. In overtime he had two blocks and a
key offensive rebound in the first overtime. He finished with 9 points, 9
rebounds (5 offensive), 3 blocks, 1 steal and 1 assist. He was missed, as the
last 5 weeks; the Knicks were able to manage a top ten defense without any true
interior presence. The former All-Star could be seen struggling near the end of
the game as he hobbled off the court on his sore leg.
The Knicks almost threw the game away in the first overtime,
extending the game unnecessarily. Carmelo Anthony
got the 19 year-old Giannis
Antetokounmpo one-on-one with the shot clock winding down. New York held a
two point lead and Anthony shot the ball as it rimmed out and Tyson Chandler
pulled down the rebound with 11.4 seconds left and a brand new shot clock. He
passed the ball out to Andrea Bargnani
at the 3-point line and he inexplicably shot the three-ball and missed. The
Knicks bench threw their hands up in the air along with the players on the
court, stunned by the mental error.
Milwaukee subsequently called a time out. On the next
possession, Carmelo Anthony failed to box out and John Henson
tipped a miss shot into the net with 00.3 seconds left. New York took the game
in second overtime on free-throws from Carmelo.
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| New York's bench reacts to Bargnani's 3-point shot in overtime. |
When asked about the shot, Bargnani responded by tapping his
chest and walking back to the bench, taking full blame for the error. He wasn’t there mentally. Clyde Frazier,
MSG Color play-by-play announcer was appalled, “WHAT IS HE DOING? WHAT IS HE
DOING, FOLKS? WHY WOULD HE SHOOT THE BALL? WHY?” He was just as appalled as his
fellow commentator Spero Dedes who said, “Clyde, they basically had it set up
for free throws and a chance to ice the game. And Bargnani – for reasons only
known to him – took the three.” Bargnani
was the player who hoped the Knicks would win the most.
The Bucks put up a valiant
effort. Brandon
Knight, who was injured in the teams’ previous matchup, had a career high
36-points along with 9 rebounds and 3 assists in 50 minutes. He exposed New
York’s inability to defend the guard position. All 5 starters for the Bucks
scored in double figures. It was also the first start for NBA’s youngest player
Giannis
Antetokounmpo, who was assigned Carmelo Anthony the entire game.
Anthony finished the game with 29 points, leading the Knicks
in scoring for another game. He played a career high 55 minutes. New York
couldn’t rest him when there was no offensive production coming from other
players. J.R.
Smith seldom hit shots but his shots mattered. He shot 7 for 23 and 5 for 17
from beyond the arc. His three point shot attempts were a Knicks record. He hit
a shot from three-point range late in the fourth and another from the top of
the key in overtime, both to swing the momentum of the game in New York’s
favor. He played a total of 48 minutes in the game along with 4 rebounds and 5
assists.
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| J.R. Smith hasn't made many shots recently, but made a few when they counted. His FG% this year is 33%. |
It was disappointing to see the Knicks struggle as much as
they did, but both teams were depleted by injuries. For New York, Kenyon Martin
is out for a couple of weeks with an abdominal strain, Amar’e
Stoudemire is resting his knees after 6 games in 9 days, Raymond Felton
is out with a strained left hamstring and Pablo Prigioni
has a broken toe. It was a similar situation for Milwaukee, they were without Carlos Delfino
who had surgery on his right foot, Caron
Butler due to a sore knee, Zaza Pachulia
with a fractured right foot, Larry Sanders
with a broken thumb, and O.J. Mayo who was
one for personal reasons.
The New York Knicks moved out of last place in their
division to 4th, one spot above the Philadelphia 76ers (7-19). They
are now 12th in the Eastern Conference and 2 games away from a
playoff spot. The struggles will continue for now with such a depleted roster,
but with Tyson Chandler back, this team could be scary with a full team in the
future. New York has won 5 of its last 8 games.
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