New York Knicks blowout the Milwaukee Bucks 116-94: Bouncing back with a vengeance

The New York Knicks led from wire-to-wire, trouncing the Milwaukee Bucks 116 to 94. 

Karl-Anthony Towns set the tone with three early three-pointers, opening the floor for everyone else. Meanwhile, Jalen Brunson sparked the offense with sped-up decision-making and aggressive passing.

Towns’ spacing and Brunson’s passing combined for an unstoppable offense. The ball flew around the floor, never sticking in any player’s hands. Milwaukee never stood a chance.

This performance exemplifies New York’s ability to reach new heights as a team. Let’s take a closer look at their success.

Notable Performances

A two-man game emerges between the Knicks’ stars

Karl-Anthony Towns: 32 PTS (12/20 FG, 4/8 3PT, 4/5 FT), 4 AST, 10 REB, 2 TO in 31 mins

Karl-Anthony Towns fired off a pair of three-pointers in the game's opening minutes and put the Bucks on notice. KAT couldn’t miss from deep early, and if Brook Lopez chased him off the line, then Towns blew by him.

Bodega KAT excelled as a passer from the high post. He and Brunson showed off a developing two-man game throughout the third quarter. If the help defense chased Towns early, he punished it with passing.

The big man’s defense also improved. He protected the rim adequately and continued his quality rebounding.

Jalen Brunson: 15 PTS (6/14 FG, 0/5 3PT, 3/4 FT), 9 AST, 2 REB, 1 STL in 32 mins

It looked like Jalen Brunson couldn’t buy a bucket in the first half of the action. He got opportunities to move off the ball and repeatedly fired open jumpers that wouldn’t fall.

But Brunson didn’t force his shot and instead created for teammates. The Knicks’ star attacked screens at full speed instead of slowing down to look for contact, which meant Brunson found more opportunities to hit open-cutters or three-point shooters.

By the second half, Brunson began to find layup opportunities in the paint. His jumper never fell, but his impact can’t be overstated. The new captain got everyone playing fast and loose, which sparked everyone’s offense.

Wingstop comes up big

OG Anunoby: 14 PTS (4/12 FG, 1/8 3PT, 5/6 FT), 5 AST, 6 REB, 3 STL, 2 BLK, 2 TO in 32 mins

Don’t worry about the three-point woes; they weren’t the story for OG Anunoby. His performance is defined by the five ‘Stocks’ he picked up on the defensive end. OG was as disruptive as ever, battling Giannis on one possession and switching to cover Damian Lillard on the next.

Despite missing all but one jumper from deep, Anunoby’s aggressive shot-hunting forced defenders to close out. He capitalized with pump-and-go’s, flying past defenders and getting into the paint, where he made smart passes or finished at the rim.

Mikal Bridges: 17 PTS (7/18 FG, 3/11 3PT), 3 AST, 3 REB, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 1 TO in 37 mins

Damian Lillard barely attempted three-pointers in the first three quarters and finished the game without making a single shot from long distance. That’s a testament to Mikal Bridges’ defensive gem tonight.

Bridges chased Dame everywhere and still had the energy to attack fastbreaks and knock down midrange jumpers. The Knicks’ wing fired away from three but looked best dribbling across the paint and acting from there.

Young guys produce off the bench

Tyler Kolek: 8 PTS (3/5 FG, 2/4 3PT), 2 AST, 4 REB, 1 STL, 1 TO in 16 mins

It hasn’t taken long for Tyler Kolek to find a comfort zone on offense. His three-point shooting has been fantastic since entering the rotation, and his passing helps the second unit get rolling.

Kolek hasn’t run the pick and roll as often or as effectively as I’d like. He turned the ball over in one such situation tonight. But it’s early, and he looks more comfortable with each game.

Jericho Sims: 2 PTS (1/2 FG), 1 AST, 5 REB, 1 STL, 1 TO in 16 mins

This was a step up for Jericho Sims. He chased boards effectively and made things happen after securing the rebounds. His defense also showed signs of improvement.

There’s room for improvement. He needs to be more aggressive when he has the ball in the paint. But he played effective basketball.

Other Notes

• Deuce McBride put together another strong performance, with 14 points and a pair of three-pointers. His reliability off the bench has been immense all season.

• Dadiet, Hukporti, and debuting Matt Ryan appeared for mop-up duty. But they didn’t do anything notable besides Ryan hitting his first three as a Knick.

• For all the early stress, New York’s 4-4 record is good for the top-4 in the East, and they have the third-best point differential in the conference to boot.

Closing Thoughts

The word of the day is “processing.” Watching this game, I was struck by how fast the ball was moving around the court. Whether players attacked off the dribble or whipped a pass to the next man, the ball flew around too fast for defenders to keep up with.

That speed of play is a direct result of every starter processing the game rapidly. Every starter can attack a close out, hit a jumper, and move without the ball. But perhaps most importantly, they all recognize a lopsided defense and find the open man quickly.

Next, we need to see this kind of rhythm in close games down the stretch. I’ll see you after the Pacers game, Knicks’ fam.