Julius Randle pledged his allegiance to the Knicks earlier within the day, however neither the slumping All-Star nor his group instantly may reverse their associated skids.
Randle was no match for two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo in a 123-108 street loss to the Bucks on Friday night time in Milwaukee. It was the sixth defeat in seven video games for the fading Knicks, who fell to 23-27 and plummeted into twelfth place behind Atlanta within the Jap Convention standings.
The regressing Randle, who stated on the morning shootaround that he nonetheless needs to “be part of” the Knicks and “to see this factor by,” was scoreless within the first quarter earlier than ending with a quiet 9 factors and 11 rebounds over 37 minutes.
In the meantime, the Knicks had no solutions for Antetokounmpo, who led the Bucks (31-20) with 38 factors and 13 boards.
“That’s what makes him who he's. He’s an MVP-type expertise,” Tom Thibodeau stated of Antetokounmpo. “There are occasions you may defend him very well, and he nonetheless can rating the ball. He did every thing tonight.”
Evan Fournier scored 25 factors and RJ Barrett netted 23 for the Knicks, who play their subsequent two video games at house in opposition to Sacramento and Memphis earlier than a frightening five-game western swing begins later subsequent week. Jrue Holliday added 24 factors and Khris Middleton completed with 20 for Milwaukee.
“The start of the fourth, Giannis form of took over slightly bit,” Barrett stated. “They only had a special depth within the fourth that we weren’t in a position to match.
“Nevertheless it’s good as a group like us, watching the defending champs, to see how they raised their stage, particularly in that fourth quarter. We all know what we've got to do to … get to that stage.”
Thibodeau caught with the identical beginning unit that was dominated at each ends of the courtroom Wednesday by the Warmth in Miami. However Randle dedicated two early turnovers and he was outscored by Antetokounmpo 13-0 within the first quarter alone, because the Bucks nailed 5 3-pointers and scored 39 factors to seize a nine-point lead.
Nerlens Noel dedicated a Flagrant-1 for contact to the face of Antetokounmpo early within the second, and the Bucks prolonged their result in as many as 15. However the Knicks closed the half on a 21-10 run — together with Randle’s first two baskets of the sport within the closing two minutes — to path 67-63 at intermission. Every group related on 9 3-pointers within the half, with Barrett netting 13 factors and Quentin Grimes nailing three triples for 11 factors off the bench.
Barrett’s trey early within the third shaved the Knicks deficit to 1, however Antetokounmpo answered with a thunderous dunk over Mitchell Robinson. He upped his level whole to 26 with 9 within the interval as Milwaukee led 93-88 coming into the ultimate quarter.
Antetokounmpo netted seven factors — together with a ferocious dunk and one of many Bucks’ 14 3-pointers — in a 20-6 run early within the fourth to push the result in 16.
“We battled to place ourselves in place going into the fourth [quarter], however then we needed to be at our greatest and we weren’t,” Thibodeau stated. “The large factor was the rebounding within the fourth. We gave them a number of second likelihood alternatives they usually took us out of transition. That was the large factor.”
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