, and rookie R. J. Barrett added 22 points. Bobby Portis had 20 off the bench.Antetokounmpo scored on a nifty drive and followed with a 3-pointer as part of a 10-0 run that gave the Bucks a 39-23 advantage early in the second quarter.Milwaukee outscored New York 36-17 in the period to grab a 65-40 halftime lead. Antetokounmpo finished the half with 20 points and eight rebounds.Milwaukee extended the margin in the third quarter as Antetokounmpo had 17 points, including nine straight during one stretch. The Bucks converted a five-point play when Knicks guard Elfrid Payton received two technical fouls and was ejected with 6:58 left in the quarter.Middleton sank the two technical free throws and Antetokounmpo hit all three foul shots after being fouled on a 3-point attempt.SHOOTING STARMiddleton is mixing up his offensive game, scoring effectively from the mid-range and beyond the 3-point line. At the season's halfway point he had an effective field goal percentage of 55.8% and an overall percentage of 48.5%. ''He took the challenge to be an even better shooter,'' Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. ''I think we wanted him to be better on open looks. He's taking his concentration in a lot of different areas and just increased it.'' Middleton is seeking his second straight NBA All-Star selection.TIP-INSKnicks: Signed forward Kenny Wooten to a two-way contract. The 6-foot-8 Wooten has appeared in 24 games this season for the Westchester Knicks of the G-League, averaging 7.7 points and 5.9 rebounds in 24 minutes per game. Knicks interim coach Mike Miller said he has been impressed with ''the athleticism and the energy and the force that he plays with.'' . Marcus Morris missed his fifth straight game with a neck injury, and the Knicks also were without Frank Ntilikina (sore groin) and Dennis Smith Jr. (oblique strain).Bucks: Talk has turned to Milwaukee's chances of reaching 70 wins, after the team had 35 at the season's halfway mark. Only the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls (72 wins) and 2015-16 Golden State Warriors (73) have eclipsed that mark. Those Warriors were outspoken about wanting to beat the Bulls' record. But it's not a subject Budenholzer is thinking about. ''We appreciate we've had a great start, but there's still a lot of work to do,'' he said. ''Defensively, individual pride, it feels like there are nights where we can't keep the ball in front of us. Offensively, our execution, both when we're playing motion and in the half-court stuff, we need to be better. That becomes more important in close games, in the playoffs.'' . Backup center Robin Lopez sat out for rest, taking his turn in the team's plan to keep players fresh throughout the season. ... Green Bay Packers stars Za'Darius Smith and Aaron Jones received huge ovations when they were introduced during a timeout late in the third quarter. The Packers play San Francisco in the NFC title game on Sunday.UP NEXTKnicks: Host the Phoenix Suns on Thursday.Bucks: Host the Boston Celtics on Thursday.)
Jan 13, 2020The good news for the New York Knicks is their losing streak is over. The bad news? The Milwaukee Bucks are next on the schedule and Giannis Antetokounmpo is feeling better.The Knicks will look to build a rare winning streak Tuesday when they visit the Bucks in the final game of the season between the Eastern Conference clubs.Both teams are coming off victories.The Knicks snapped a five-game losing streak Sunday afternoon when they overcame a 14-point second-half deficit to edge the visiting Miami Heat 124-121. The NBA-leading Bucks earned their third straight victory Saturday when they capped a four-game Western Conference road swing with a 122-101 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.The Knicks, who entered Monday with the third-worst record in the NBA at 11-29, appeared headed for another discouraging loss as they fell into the double-digit hole in the third quarter. But New York, whose three previous losses came by a combined 66 points, stunned the Heat by outscoring the team tied for the second-best record in the Eastern Conference 40-23 in the fourth quarter."It's huge," rookie guard RJ Barrett told reporters following the victory. "They're really one of the best teams in the league. We were able to fight it out and get one." With the win, the Knicks improved to 7-11 since David Fizdale was fired as head coach Dec. 6 and replaced by Mike Miller."I just told the guys I'm so happy for them, so proud of them for hanging in there and battling back," Miller said afterward. "We bent a couple times but didn't break." The task will likely be tougher Tuesday against a healthier Antetokounmpo and the well-rested Bucks (35-6), who have won more games at the halfway point of the season than the Knicks have in any of the previous five seasons."Thirty-five wins, man, this is crazy," Antetokounmpo said Saturday night. "I'm really happy about this, the way we've been playing." Antetokounmpo was particularly happy Saturday night. After being hampered by a sore back and averaging 22.3 points -- more than seven points below his season average -- during the first three games of the road trip, the 6-foot-11 hybrid guard/forward scored 13 points in the first quarter against the Trail Blazers. He finished with 32 points and 17 rebounds while adding six assists in a mere 29 minutes.The 13 first-quarter points matched Antetokounmpo's total for the entire game Friday, when the Bucks beat the Sacramento Kings 127-106"I guess nobody's probably ever 100-percent healthy, but I think he wanted to put a statement on the game," Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said."Giannis was very good (Friday) night, but he probably wasn't his super Giannis that we're all used to. So I think whenever he has one of those games, you feel like he's going to come out and play with force in the first quarter, want to put a different spin on the game. And he definitely did that." --Field Level Media
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