New York Knicks, NBA In-Season Tournament: Jalen Brunson Can't Do It Alone vs. Milwaukee Bucks
As the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament counts down toward its Las Vegas finale, Giannis Antetokounmpo plans to post big numbers on both the hardwood and casino floors.
“Whatever happens in [Las] Vegas, stays in Vegas,” the Milwaukee Bucks star said, via Gabe Stoltz of Brew Hoops. “I’m gonna go play some roulette. Double my money.”
One thing stands between Antetokounmpo and Sin City: the New York Knicks.
The Knicks and Bucks will face off in a Tuesday night showdown at Fiserv Forum (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG/TNT) with a trip to Vegas on the line as part of the In-Season Tournament's knockout stage. A Thursday semifinal against the Boston Celtics/Indiana Pacers awaits before the champion is crowned ... and bestowed an extra $500,000 to spend at the roulette table ... two nights later against the Western champion.
New York and Milwaukee keep running into each other on high-profile stages — their first showdown of the 2023-24 season earning the national television treatment during the opening night of group play on Nov. 3. The two teams are also scheduled to do battle on Christmas Day at Madison Square Garden, but much will have changed by then.
The last time the two teams met, the Bucks won 110-105 on their decorated In-Season Tournament court in a contest that was only close thanks to a season-best (and career second-best) 45 points for Jalen Brunson, who was forced to pick up the slack for a struggling Julius Randle (5-of-20, 1-of-9 from three) and an injured RJ Barrett while Antetokounmpo and new collaborator Damian Lillard united for 52.
Nov 3, 2023; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) sits after being fouled in the fourth quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum.
© Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
That loss dropped the Knicks to 2-4, but they've gone 9-3 since then, including a perfect 3-0 mark over the rest of East Group B play to secure one of the wild card slots afforded to the runner-ups. Now another trip to that decorated court awaits them with a chance to join three other teams in Vegas — on the court and in the casino.
To make that wish come true, Brunson will have to show up and show out again.
“He's super crafty. He can make threes, but he doesn't settle for threes,” Lillard said of playing against Brunson after the first game, per the Associated Press. “He draws fouls. He knows how to position himself in front of the defender. He puts the defender in tough positions ... you're trying to defend hard like you're taught to, and he's having you at his mercy.”
Brunson's effort helped the Knicks (12-7) claw back from a deficit that reached as high as 14. But if the Knicks want to head west, he can't do alone this time around.
“[We played a] hard-fought game," Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said after the November loss, per video from SNY. "But we didn't do enough to get it done at the end. We'd better come back with more determination.”
More determination comes in many forms: New York shot an abysmal 25 percent from three and committed 22 fouls on the night which led to 28 Milwaukee free throws. Brook Lopez had blocks alone in the win ... the Knicks could only muster one as a team.
Brunson has proven himself as a consistent star for New York and feels destined for his first All-Star appearance and maybe even a run at In-Season Tournament MVP if the Knicks make it to Saturday. But if the Knicks are finally going to get the best of the Bucks, winners of each of the last seven meetings between the two sides, it's clearly going to take a team effort.
Randle was far from the only struggling shooter in the first go-around: Josh Hart, starting for the injured Barrett, was 2-of-9 from the field while Donte DiVincenzo was 1-of-8.
Better shooting is a strong starting spot, especially if the Knicks can pair it with more discipline in the fouling realm and smarter shots against lengthy defenders like Antetokounmpo. But it's not a light switch-type fix, either.
Even if New York comes out guns blazing from behind the arc and Brunson lights up the scoreboard again, it'll still have to slow down the dynamic duo in Antetokounmpo and Lillard, not to mention Milwaukee's role players like former Knick Bobby Portis, who played with Brunson and Hart on the American World Cup of Basketball effort over the summer.
All that and more should make the Knicks-Bucks matchup one of the tighter showdowns on the knockout bracket. Brunson alone will keep things close ... but a $500,000 on blue-and-orange would feel much safer if he has a little assistance.
