You never know what you have until it’s gone…Or in the Buck’s case you never know what you have until Jason Kidd makes a surprise benching. Giannis Antetokounmpo returned to the Bucks Friday night against the New York Knicks to score a game-high 23 points. The Bucks went on to steamroll the Knicks in a bigger-than-it-looks 99-91 victory.
Giannis Antetokounmpo wasted no time finding his groove. Following his benching he played a more assertive brand of basketball than we’ve seen the last two months, ultimately leading to one of the best single plays of the Bucks’ season. Look for that play in our “reactions” section. Let’s just say his jersey was in full un-tuck mode.
Giannis shared scoring responsibilities with Khris Middleton who dropped 22 on 9-16 shooting, and Michael Carter-Williams who added 19 on 8-13 shooting with just two turnovers.
The Knicks kept the game close for most of the first half, taking a 45-39 lead with 2:26 left in the second quarter; but the Bucks responded with a 13-4 run and never looked back.
Any hope that the Knicks had of beating the Bucks was emphatically extinguished by a 17-2 Milwaukee run to start the second half as the Bucks took a 71-53 lead.
The win gives the Bucks their first sweep of the Knicks since 1991 and brings them within one win (or a Pacers, Nets, or Celtics loss) from securing a playoff birth.
We have much more on Giannis’ big night, Carter-William’s progress, and the bench’s disappointing performance in our Milwaukee Bucks grades and reactions.
Next: Reactions: Giannis