Bucks Zone

3 takeaways from the Milwaukee Bucks' gritty win over the New York Knicks

Jrue Holiday led the Bucks down the stretch to help his team get the road victory.
Matthew Dugandzic|
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Milwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks pulled off an incredible 111-107 victory over the New York Knicks to get a much-needed win on the road that could be the spark they need to break out of their extended slump in the last 13 games. Here are three takeaways from the Bucks' gritty triumph over the Knicks.

Late-game heroics from Jrue Holiday

There's a reason why coming back from huge deficits is a tall task. Not only does it drain the team's energy to make up a gap that large, but it also takes great individual performances from key players. Jrue Holiday showed up in the fourth quarter and scored the bulk of his 11 points in crunch time.

He first hit a long triple to give the Bucks a 97-96 lead after trailing by as much as 17 points. He later assisted on a Brook Lopez three-pointer before making a stepback trey of his own to push Milwaukee in front by four, 107-103 with 16 seconds remaining.

“He delivers a lot of times when it matters most and certainly what he did tonight, I’m going to be with him always,” said Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer. “We needed it, and Jrue brought us home.”

Giannis gets his groove back

Giannis Antetokounmpo was nowhere to be found in the 138-109 shellacking that the Bucks received in their last game against the Charlotte Hornets. 

In that game, the two-time MVP had just nine points—his first single-digit scoring game since December 2020. Against the Knicks on Monday, Antetokounmpo bounced back with 22 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and two blocks.

Joe Ingles comes alive

Veteran wingman Joe Ingles led the Bucks' bench mob as he put up a season-high 17 points, highlighted by five makes from beyond the arc. He was 6-of-14 from the field, as the Australian added five assists and three rebounds in 28 minutes of action. 

The performance bodes well for the 35-year-old veteran, who is still trying to get his rhythm back after getting sidelined for an extended period due to a torn ACL.

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Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.