3 takeaways from Milwaukee Bucks’ double-digit win over New York Knicks
By Dalton Sell
Fresh off a win over the Houston Rockets on Friday, the Milwaukee Bucks aimed to keep the ball rolling as they visited Madison Square Garden for a matchup with the New York Knicks on Sunday.
It was all Milwaukee from start to finish in this one as the defending champs never trailed and had their lead up to 21 points at its highest. Although New York kept the contest interesting with a few spirited runs in the second half to cut their deficit to single digits, it was not enough to help them secure the comeback in the end. After 48 minutes, the Bucks walked off the court with a 112-97 win under their belt. With all that being said, let us take a closer look at three takeaways from the matchup.
Rodney Hood provides a boost off the bench as he clocks in his best performance yet with the Milwaukee Bucks
It is no secret that Rodney Hood has played poorly for the Bucks this season. The forward has had his share of struggles finding his footing, averaging new career lows in most statistical categories. The Bucks needed Hood to step up, and he did just that in yesterday’s matchup with the Knicks.
With Wesley Matthews set to miss the game after having entered the league’s health and safety protocols, Hood would see a much more prominent opportunity. Hood played 23 minutes off the bench for Milwaukee, a new season-high. He took advantage of the extended opportunity as he scored 14 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting from the floor, including 2-of-2 from 3-point range. In addition to his scoring, Hood dished out a season-high three assists in what was a strong game for him on all fronts.
Hood’s offense looked better than it has at any point this season, and it is welcoming to see the veteran finally find a groove in a Bucks jersey. With many question marks hanging over the Bucks’ second unit right now, solid contributions like this from Hood are beyond appreciated. Hopefully a game like this helps give Hood some extra juice moving forward as he looks to build off what was undoubtedly his strongest performance of the year. With Matthews’ return uncertain, Hood could see consistent time like this moving forward, and he must make the most of the extended time.