Knicks vs Bucks Preview: How, Who to Watch in Pre-Christmas Clash

Depending on how you look at it, the NBA's version of Santa Claus has offered the New York Knicks either a lump of coal or what they've desperately wanted with all their hearts.

The Knicks have yet another chance to prove themselves worth of true contention consideration this holiday weekend, as they face ... or endure ... a doubleheader against the surging Milwaukee Bucks at Madison Square Garden that starts on Saturday afternoon before the two sides open the Christmas Day slate on Monday.

Mitchell Robinson Injury: Knicks' Worst-Case Scenario?

New York has already endured the wrath of the revamped Bucks twice this season, as more than half of their losses have come against conference leaders Milwaukee, Boston, and Minnesota (0-6). The last was a 146-122 shellacking in the quarterfinal round of the NBA In-Season Tournament on Dec. 5, a game that saw a 41-point performance from Julius Randle go to waste. In more recent times, the Bucks have won each of their last six, entering Manhattan with the longest active winning streak in the NBA.

Though the Bucks have won six in a row, the Knicks enter with their own share of momentum: a 3-2 road trip ended with consecutive victories over the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets, the latter being a wire-to-wire victory at Barclays Center on Wednesday.

What: Milwaukee Bucks (21-7) @ New York Knicks (16-11)

Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

When/Watch: Saturday, 12:30 p.m. ET, MSG/NBA TV

Who's Favored: TBD

Keep An Eye On: Isaiah Hartenstein

The Isaiah Hartenstein era begins in earnest on Friday, the first game after Shams Charania reported that Mitchell Robinson would likely be sidelined for the rest of the season. Hartenstein came off the bench in the first four games of the post-Robinson portions of this but he was thrust into the starting five with Jericho Sims likewise ailing. Despite the prescience of Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Knicks managed to win the rebounding battle in their first tilt with the Bucks in November, helping them nearly overcome a 14-point deficit to fall by only five. Hartenstein played only 18 minutes that night, pulling in three rebounds and being charged with three fouls. He'll be called upon to step up with the Knicks desperately seeking momentum against elite competition.

Buck to Watch: Malik Beasley

The Bucks are obviously headlined by the antics of Antetokounmpo and the Knicks will have to contain him and Brook Lopez to escape with an unexpected victory. But Beasley might be even deadlier with the way things have been going: when the Knicks held Beasley in check in the three-point department (allowing him only two attempts from deep), they only lost by five. When Beasley scored 18 on a 6-of-10 output with an extra point on the line, part of a 23-triple barrage, they got crushed by 24. How the Knicks defend the three-point line often decides their fate: they're 1-7 when opponents are allowed to hit at least 16, compared to 15-4 otherwise.

They Said It

"I’ve always been ready for this opportunity. I think I’ve shown I can be in this role. At the end of the day we are going to miss Mitch a lot. But I’m ready. I’m ready for whatever (Tom Thibodeau) has in mind for me. Last season, half of the games I would finish games. I’m used to this role, so I’m excited for it.”-Hartenstein on replacing Robinson in the starting five (h/t Zach Braziller, New York Post)

Dame It! Knicks Fight But Fall to Bucks, Drop In-Season Tournament Opener

Prediction

The Knicks could situate themselves with a realistic goal of splitting this holiday pair with the Bucks. Doing so at home in the relative weirdness of a Saturday afternoon tip-off might be the better opportunity to do it, even with the gut punch of losing Robinson still lingering.