The Milwaukee Bucks have been a much better defensive team lately, but Sunday's game against the New York Knicks was not a good example.
New York put 140 points on the scoreboard as they toyed with the Bucks for 48 minutes, having their way with a Milwaukee squad that didn't have any answers as they put up a measly 106 points. During this loss and every other game played between the Bucks and Knicks this season, two factors have been on display that could foreshadow Milwaukee's doom if they do not get it together.
The Knicks know how to get the best of the Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee's centers are not built to play a team like New York that is faster, more athletic and far more energetic. The slow-footed Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis were hardly playable in this matchup, often targeted by the quick Knicks. When either of them had to guard Karl-Anthony Towns one-on-one for even a split second, it typically ended in a New York bucket.
The Knicks aren't the only team that gives the Bucks trouble in this regard, and it's clearly something they need to address ahead of the upcoming 2025 NBA Trade Deadline. Asking these two to continue trying to guard this breed of opposing centers is unfathomable at this point. Having to face a player like Towns in a playoff scenario could be a nightmare as currently constructed.
Milwaukee's centers were not the only players getting taken advantage of defensively, as the guards didn't put up much of a fight either. Jalen Brunson - who always seems to turn it up a notch when the Milwaukee Bucks are on the schedule - finished with 44 points on 61.5 percent shooting, while his backup and former Buck Cameron Payne had 18 points on 60 percent shooting.
Containing speedy guards remains a problem for Milwaukee, even when they do put their own young, athletic pieces on them. Brunson flat-out thrived when he had Andre Jackson Jr. or AJ Green - two of the Bucks' best perimeter defenders - on him because he could bait them into fouls. Outside of them, the Bucks really didn't have anyone else to turn to, especially with Ryan Rollins and Gary Trent Jr. out.
One game doesn't undo how well the Milwaukee Bucks had been playing on defense lately, but the struggles against these particular types of teams are nothing new. If these struggles continue and the roster does not adapt, this conversation will certainly heat up in the coming months, especially when it's playoff time.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.