With a 129-122 victory on Monday, Jalen Brunson scored 38 points to help the New York Knicks halt their lengthy losing streak against the Milwaukee Bucks. Milwaukee had been won seven straight games.
The Knicks had lost their previous nine meetings, most recently on Saturday in the first game of this two-game series, 130-111. The Bucks had cruised through their December schedule, winning both of their games against New York; nevertheless, they haven’t been able to solve Brunson this season, and this time around the point guard had plenty of support from his teammates.
After having a difficult game on Saturday, RJ Barrett rebounded with 21 points, Julius Randle added 24 points and nine rebounds, and Immanuel Quickley scored 20 points after coming off the bench.
The Bucks, who are now 9-2 this month, were led in scoring by Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, both with 32 points. 24 was added by Khris Middleton.
In the In-Season Tournament quarterfinals on December 5, the Bucks outscored the Knicks 146 points, and they continued to dominate on Saturday. Despite having spent a long Christmas break in New York, they were exhausted on Monday. They have one more game left in the city on Wednesday when they travel to Brooklyn.
Milwaukee didn’t even manage to crack 40 points until there were less than four minutes left in the first half, despite their December average of 132.4 points. With 4 1/2 minutes left in the game, the Bucks were behind 16 points, but a late surge brought the score closer than it felt.
This season, Brunson has scored 45 and 36 points against the Bucks, and he shot 15 for 28 from the field after those performances. Josh Hart scored 10 points and pulled down 9 rebounds after coming off the bench, while Isaiah Hartenstein finished with 11 points and 8 rebounds.
In their sixth consecutive Christmas game, the Bucks lost 3-3 despite Antetokounmpo’s 13 rebounds and 6 assists.
When the starting lineups were announced, the overhead video screen mistakenly placed his brother Thanasis as the starter. However, Giannis soon showed everyone who he is, putting up a lob pass on the first possession and then making a jumper on the next. But for the rest of the game, Brunson was the greatest player on the court, scoring 15 points to give the Knicks an early 36-27 advantage, which they maintained against the Bucks on Saturday.
In the second quarter, Lillard attempted to help the Bucks cut down a 13-point disadvantage, but he had little assistance from Middleton (1 for 7) and Antetokounmpo (1 for 6). With Randle’s 3-pointer, the score was 62-51 at the half.
Midway through the third quarter, Milwaukee pulled within 77-73, but Hart had a strong run of three straight Knicks baskets later in the frame to help New York get back up to 98-87.