The Milwaukee Bucks were able to pick up their fourth straight win to open up the season after Friday night’s clash with the New York Knicks. The Knicks now fall to three wins and two losses on the year after the 119-108 final. Milwaukee was dominant most of the game, and their defense was impressive, which seems to be a common theme early this season. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way with 30 points, 14 rebounds, and nine assists, but he received a bit more help to secure the win compared to past games. Credit to New York for the way they fought in the fourth quarter, but the Bucks already sizeable lead was too much for the Knicks to overcome.
Takeaways from Milwaukee Bucks win vs Knicks: Milwaukee’s defense continues its dominance
Although there were some stretches that the Knicks were able to hit their rhythm, Milwaukee’s defense was one of the main reasons they were able to secure their fourth straight win. The energy Milwaukee played with was impeccable and served as a recipe for success. Brook Lopez totaled three blocks on route to another master class performance on the interior. Lopez now has 16 blocks on the season, and averages four per game which leads the NBA. In the Bally sports post-game interview, guard Grayson Allen stated, “A lot of the credit for our defense has to go to Brook, he makes things a lot easier for us guards.” Having a big body like Brook out there gives defenders more freedom to move around, and on top of that Lopez has been spotless with his interior defense. It gives perimeter defenders the comfort to be more aggressive defensively knowing they have Lopez to rely on.
You can always count on Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday to be on their game defensively, but Jevon Carter and Grayson Allen were also good, and tonight’s effort was collective. It is very encouraging to see multiple guys defending at a high level, considering the Milwaukee Bucks are not at full strength with Middleton, Connaughton, and Ingles out due to injury. The dominance starts with Antetokounmpo, Holiday, and Lopez, but their intensity on that side of the ball has seemed to trickle down to the rotation players as well.