Milwaukee falls at home to New York after flirting with foul trouble
In a pivotal clash at Fiserv Forum, the Milwaukee Bucks were outdone by the New York Knicks, falling 116-107.
OG Anunoby’s 31 points led all scorers in this one. Mikal Bridges mixed in 26 points of his own for the Knicks to complement things.
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 30 points led the scoring for Milwaukee. Kyle Kuzma and Ryan Rollins matched one another with 20 points apiece.
Read our full summary of the game here and catch a six-minute audio recap on the Bucks+ podcast Bucks In Six Minutes below.
What Did We Learn?
It’s tough to win games like this one. That’s how Doc Rivers summarized things in his postgame presser. What was he talking about? Mainly, the turnovers and offensive rebounds that the Bucks gave up. Early on, the Knicks were able to seize control thanks to Milwaukee coughing up the basketball. When the final whistle was blown, the Bucks had turned it over 16 times, giving up 26 points in doing so. In the rebound department, New York reeled in 14 second chances. Yikes. Doc’s right…it’s tough to win games like that.
Three Observations
Foul trouble hurt the Bucks.
I mentioned this in my Rapid Recap. To kick this one off, Karl-Anthony Towns quickly picked up two fouls, resulting in Tom Thibodeau being forced to substitute him out. He then later picked up his third. It seemed as if things were truly the Bucks’ way. The only bad thing? Giannis also began to pick up fouls. It was clear that had Milwaukee been able to rely on Antetokounmpo more, this game may have been different. However, late in the third, he had to be removed due to being called for his fifth foul. The Bucks never seemed as if they could get over the hump without him.
The Bucks did keep KAT in check.
Dovetailing off the above point, shoutout to the Bucks for successfully containing Towns. It was clear that they had a gameplan to disrupt him and make him uncomfortable, which is exactly what happened early on. KAT did result with a double-double, but that’s nearly impossible to prevent. Especially considering how Giannis was in foul trouble and how Brook Lopez can sometimes struggle with opposing bigs, this was pretty respectable.
Ryan Rollins shined.
Despite the loss, this was one of the shining lights. Doc summed his performance up with one word — terrific. In 34 minutes played, Rollins tallied 20 points on 8/12 shooting, including 3⁄4 from behind the perimeter. He also dished out four assists while snagging five rebounds. Although he’s not a true point guard, he made a strong impact as the starting guard. Given how Damian Lillard is sidelined indefinitely, this was promising to see.
Bonus Bucks Bits
- Marquette standout Tyler Kolek got some nice applause in this one from the Milwaukee crowd. Off the bench, he finished with five points and five assists. He also had a nice finish over Giannis.
- Josh Hart was his typical Swiss army knife-self, coming two assists shy of a triple-double. He posted a 13/14/8 stat line.
- Doc mentioned how Brook Lopez can’t shoot just five attempts. He also noted how two of those were tough shots. Look for him to get the ball more Sunday night against Atlanta.
- It was a rough night for KPJ. In 13 minutes of action off the bench, he scored just a pair of points and turned the ball over several times.
- Speaking of turnovers, Doc was also displeased at Kyle Kuzma turning it over four times. He highlighted how that’s too much. Additionally, he noted in his pregame how Kuz needs more time to settle in as the No. 2 option now that Dame is sidelined. He continued by saying that they simply haven’t had time to practice under that impression, but will focus on it moving forward.
Up Next
The Bucks are now off until they return to action Sunday. They’ll tip off at Fiserv Forum at 6 p.m. CST against the Atlanta Hawks. You’re able to watch this one on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin or stream it on our Playback and YouTube channels.
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