Bucks Zone

GAME DAY PREVIEW AND INJURY REPORT: The Milwaukee Bucks and the New York Knicks battle in a Christmas Day spectacle

The Bucks are looking to extend their dominance against the Knicks.
Matthew Dugandzic|
© Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

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Milwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks and the New York Knicks meet for the second time in three days as they lock horns in a Christmas Day duel at the Madison Square Arena on Monday.

Milwaukee will be playing its sixth straight Christmas Day game, while New York is set to extend its record Christmas Day appearances to 56. The two squads met on Saturday also at Madison, with the Bucks coming away with a lopsided 130-111 win.

Milwaukee has been dominating New York

The Bucks have become a puzzle that the Knicks simply couldn’t solve. The Bucks’ 19-point win last Saturday was their ninth consecutive win against the Knicks.

Giannis Antetokounmpo powered the Bucks to win by finishing with 28 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists.

In the season, Milwaukee has won its first three meetings with New York, beating the Knicks in succession by an average winning margin of 16 points. The Bucks are looking to beat the Knicks anew to extend their season-high seven-game winning streak.

Milwaukee’s latest win against the Knicks came after it swept its six-game homestand. The series of victories have pushed the Bucks to solo second place in the Eastern Conference with a 22-7 record. The Knicks will come into the contest occupying the sixth spot in the East with 16 wins and 12 losses.

Milwaukee and New York playing against each other on Christmas Day is not something new. In fact, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s first-ever Christmas Day game was against New York at Madison in 2018.

Giannis was spectacular in his Christmas Day game debut, stuffing the stat sheet with 30 points, 14 rebounds, four steals, three assists, and two blocks as he led the Bucks to an easy 109-95 victory over the Knicks.

Injury report

Jae Crowder is still out for the Bucks and recovering from surgery due to a left adductor and abdominal tear.

Two big men for the Knicks, Mitchell Robinson and Jericho Sims are out due to ankle injuries, while DaQuan Jeffries is questionable because of an illness.

The Milwaukee Bucks beat the New York Knicks for their season-high 7th-straight win

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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.