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Giannis still happy with Bucks' back-to-back game split vs. Knicks: "It was kind of like a playoff matchup"
The Milwaukee Bucks saw their seven-game win streak coming to an end precisely on Christmas Day as the New York Knicks casted revenge in their back-to-back meetings, 129-122.
Upon dominating them in their previous three meetings this season – including two In-Season Tournament matchups – the Bucks collapsed in front of a much determined Knicks squad that gave the sold-out Madison Square Garden a sweet holiday treat. The entire bout favored New York, but Milwaukee made it look close at the final stretch, trimming the lead to six with a minute to go after trailing a 12-point edge with less than 3 minutes left in regulation.
Despite failing to extend their seven-game win streak and the advantage of their regular season series against the Knicks, Giannis Antetokounmpo remains positive of what they were able to conclude in their stay in New York.
A warm-up for the postseason test
As much as they might be fed up from facing the Knicks multiple times this season, Giannis sees their recent Knicks face-off as a necessity — describing it like a postseason scenario.
New York might have picked up the victory on Monday, but Antetokounmpo describes it as a blessing in disguise for Milwaukee.
"It was kind of like a playoff matchup," Giannis said. "We've played this team four times in the past month, month and a half. Two times in the past few days.
"It's a good test for us. We're going to play teams in the playoffs twice [on the road], so being able to win the first one, lose the second one, it's good. We'll learn from it.”
It is what it is for Dame
Damian Lillard shares the same sentiment as Giannis. As much as they could've given themselves a better opportunity to win back-to-back, they are still satisfied with a knotted duel against the Knicks.
The Bucks are still slated to face the Knicks in April. For now, they want to carry the lessons of their halted win stretch and continue building their contention momentum.
“We knew coming in everything that we were lined up for, and it is what it is,” Lillard said. “We got the first one, we came in for this one, they got off to a good start, they played a great game, and we just got outplayed.”
