Milwaukee Bucks: 3 matchups to watch for versus New York Knicks

Third matchup to watch for between Milwaukee Bucks vs. Knicks – Which 3-point defense bends first?

The Bucks and the Knicks come into tonight’s game with same susceptibilities when it comes to defending the 3-point line. The Knicks (37) and Bucks (37.8) rank 25th and 27th in allowing the most 3-point attempts in the league this season.

The biggest difference standing between these two teams is the efficiency that their opponents are hitting on such shots. New York’s opponents are shooting 33 percent from three, good for first in the league. Meanwhile, Milwaukee’s opponents are hitting their triples at a 37.4 percent clip, which ranks 19th.

Milwaukee has gone to great lengths to mitigate what has been their biggest Achilles heel over the Mike Budenholzer era by incorporating more switching and making opponent 3-point looks tougher as the season goes along.

The Knicks, though, have gotten fairly lucky with their opponent 3-point percentage and how much of an aberration it is compared to the amount of looks they let up. To that point, the Knicks are allowing the sixth-highest amount of wide-open 3-point looks to their opponents in the league, yet the 33.4 percent their opponents are hitting on such shots is the best in the league.

Eventually, that number will rise up as they continue their unlikely playoff push moving forward. And perhaps it’ll be the Bucks to give them the first sign of trouble, especially if New York allows a high mark of threes to the Bucks.

You can catch the Bucks’ meeting with the New York Knicks on Fox Sports Wisconsin where it is slated to tip off at 7 p.m. CST.