The New York Knicks lost to the Milwaukee Bucks 108-119. The Knicks starters had a tough outing while the bench deserved more minutes.
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The New York Knicks fought but fell to the Milwaukee Bucks 108 to 119. The Knicks’ offense sputtered against the Bucks’ league-leading defense. The trick was for Milwaukee to press Jalen Brunson and force other players to create for themselves. The players were inefficient and sloppy with the ball as a result. New York lost key battles on the glass and reverted to poor free-throw shooting as their rhythm was broken.
It wasn’t all bad, though. The Knicks refused to go away, even after an 18-0 run for Milwaukee in the third quarter. But every time New York got close, the Bucks hit a three or finished a putback to stave off the run. The difference came down to execution in crucial moments.
The best players for New York came off the bench. Frustratingly, some didn’t get the minutes I felt they deserved. Let’s look at where some players faltered and which one’s found their way.
The Bucks’ defense stifled New York’s starters
Jalen Brunson: 13 PTS (3/10 FG, 1/4 3PT, 6/9 FT), 2 AST, 3 REB, 1 STL, 3 TO in 33 mins
From the opening tip, Milwaukee focused on applying pressure and forcing the ball out of Jalen Brunson’s hands. They played ball denial when he gave up the rock, staying attached to Brunson and giving space to everyone else. Brunson never got into a rhythm, missing shots and turning the ball over early.
But Brunson fought to make things happen anyway. He got to the line repeatedly by fighting to get his feet in the paint and using fancy footwork to get his shot off. There were even moments the lead ball handler got open in the corners a few times, only to be looked off by his teammates. That’s unfortunate because a couple of those shots could improve his three-point percentage and impact.
On the bright side, Brunson visibly worked hard on defense. The refs robbed him of a drawn charge and otherwise kept a body on his defensive assignments. Sadly, that’s not enough to pick his performance up beyond a 2 out of 5 for impact.
RJ Barrett: 20 PTS (7/17 FG, 1/7 3PT, 5/8 FT), 2 AST, 5 REB, 1 TO in 36 mins
Most of RJ Barrett’s production came after the Knicks gave up an 18-to-nothing run. One can easily argue that he was sloppy and ineffective until the game was out of reach. But to Barrett’s credit, he went from having a miserable game to giving the Knicks a chance at a comeback in the fourth quarter.
Barrett’s success might not have been a garbage time mirage. His success came when he ran with the second unit for an extended period. Those teammates look to him more often and are more prone to movement that RJ took advantage of with his off-ball cutting. His jumper has been miserable, so getting the ball in motion has been his only path to successful scoring. But this leaves us with the problem that Barrett hasn’t found his chemistry with starters despite playing with three last season.
I’m also increasingly frustrated that Barrett’s defense feels passive until he gets going on offense. He’s energized by his scoring but inattentive when the game doesn’t go his way. It’s most visible as screens continually remove him from plays when he could fight through the contact. The continued futility renders his 20 points hopeful but not impactful to earn anything more than a 1.5 out of 5.
Evan Fournier: 11 PTS (4/12 FG, 3/7 3PT), 4 REB, 2 TO in 20 mins
The pressure on Jalen Brunson pushed Evan Fournier into more offensive action than he’s seen all year. This was Fournier’s opportunity to step up, and he responded by making some threes, but everything else was a flop. The French wing had lanes to drive but often pulled up short and missed his subsequent attempts.
Most of the sharpshooter’s worst habits came out on the defensive end as well. He was prone to wandering off his man while ball-watching, which left Milwaukee shooters open. His effort in man-to-man situations wasn’t enough to keep opponents out of the paint. His defense was terrible.
There’s no sugar-coating this performance. The Knicks were a better team when Immanuel Quickley played in Fournier’s place. IQ is a much better defender and more versatile on offense. Fournier has yet to produce an offensive game that justifies his starting role. He gets a 1 out of 5 for failing to step up when the opportunity arrived.
Julius Randle: 14 PTS (3/10 FG, 0/2 3PT, 8/9 FT), 2 AST, 12 REB, 1 STL, 3 TO in 31 mins
With the ball in his hands more often, Julius Randle reverted to old habits early in this game. He forced some bad shots and was much slower with his decision-making. While he settled in and played under control as the game wore on, Randle never found an offensive rhythm.
Randle’s only field goal through three quarters came from an offensive putback. He worked hard on the boards all night, though he still gave up some offensive rebounds. He struggled defensively, which may be due to clashing with seven-footers all night.
The problem for Randle is his lack of a jumper. His shot is failing to draw defenders. That takes away his ability to draw defenders, so anyone strong enough to take Randle’s initial contact will also slow him down and force a tough shot. Randle’s struggles in this game earn a 1.5 out of 5.
Mitchell Robinson: 5 PTS (2/5 FG, 1/2 FT), 1 AST, 9 REB, 2 BLK in 20 mins
Mitchell Robinson asked for the challenge of guarding Giannis. He got his wish. Mitch had some solid defensive moments, sticking with the perennial MVP contender. He even picked up a highlight reel block later on in the action.
But you’re only as good as your availability allows. In keeping up with Giannis, Mitch picked up foul trouble early on and never reeled it in. Even when Robinson had strong moments, he would follow it up with a bad foul and have to sit. That’s especially brutal when we needed the big man on the boards.
It’s no surprise New York lost the rebounding battle when Mitchell Robinson could barely break 20 minutes of action. He still flashed massive defensive potential, but the foul woes removed him from a more significant impact. That leaves Mitch with a 1.5 out of 5 because New York needed more minutes from the big man, but lack of discipline cost him and the team.
Knicks’ Second unit players deserved larger roles
Immanuel Quickley: 14 PTS (5/11 FG, 2/4 3PT, 2/4 FT), 3 AST, 4 REB, 3 STL, 1 BLK, 1 TO in 28 mins
Immanuel Quickley came off the bench and immediately punished the Bucks for switching a big man on to him. As soon as IQ saw Bobby Portis, he set up for isolation and hit back-to-back three’s off the dribble. Then, when the Bucks closed space on Quickley, he got past them to finish inside or feed a teammate.
It all started with a couple of made shots. IQ forced players to stay tight, unlike Randle and RJ, who failed to convert and allowed defenders to sag. When Evan Fournier would drive and flounder, Quickley would drive all the way to the rim. The sixth man provided everything Jalen Brunson could have used to get some extra room to operate.
It doesn’t stop with his offense, either. IQ was the best perimeter defender on the team in this game, a low bar but one that he cleared comfortably. This wasn’t a case of playing against back-ups either, with Quickley’s quality carrying into his limited time with the starting unit. IQ grabs a 3.5 out of 5 for being a key to this game staying close.
Derrick Rose: 12 PTS (5/8 FG, 2/3 3PT), 4 AST, 4 REB, 1 TO in 15 mins
Derrick Rose was another crucial piece to New York’s competitive play. He got on the court, flew past everyone for a lay-up, and then knocked down threes in space. That caused the same spacing impact that Quickley’s makes had. Rose had tighter defenders, which gave him room to drive past and finish or feed a teammate.
My only complaint about Rose is that we didn’t get enough of him. The Bucks pressed Jalen Brunson, and Rose could have spelled or helped him. But I’m beginning to think Rose is on a 15-minute restriction. He’s received 16 minutes in one performance as his highest year mark.
It’s frustrating that Derrick Rose looks like he could provide more but continues to sit without any explanation from the coach or front office. We can look past that in wins, but not during losses like this Bucks game. Rose gets a 3 out of 5 despite just fifteen minutes of action.
Cam Reddish: 2 PTS (1/5 FG, 0/2 3PT), 1 AST, 2 REB in 12 mins
For 90 percent of this action, Cam Reddish was pretty bad. He reminded me of Randle early on, and both players saw extra touches and opportunities to attack. Both tried to get things going but were forced to slow down and made mistakes in the process.
Reddish comported himself better in the second half. His defense was more effective, and he had a beautiful finish inside. But it was a game of flashes and mistakes rather than a consistent performance. Cam picks up a 1.5 out of 5 for his impact.
Obi Toppin: 11 PTS (4/7 FG, 3/5 3PT), 2 AST, 3 REB in 17 mins
We watched Obi Toppin’s continued confidence in his jumper, as he was New York’s best three-point-shooter for the night. Obi didn’t get many opportunities to run or cut behind the giants on Milwaukee, so the jump shot was paramount to his success. Now he needs enough time to see if he can keep hitting shots or force defenders to follow him outside.
The elephant in the room is that Obi played just 17 minutes in this game. We might blame his defense, as he did wander too far from his man to recover on occasion. But Obi also fought on the defensive boards, sometimes losing due to size issues but fighting nonetheless.
Toppin’s defensive struggles weren’t as pronounced as Randle’s offensive issues. Jalen Brunson never had space to operate, and Obi might have changed that with his jumper and constant motion. Obi only gets a 2.5 out of 5, but that’s a fault of Tom Thibodeau and not the player.
Isaiah Hartenstein: 6 PTS (3/8 FG, 0/1 3PT), 2 AST, 8 REB, 1 STL, 2 BLK, 1 TO in 28 mins
It’s tough for me to be too hard on Isaiah Hartenstein because he was thrust into extra minutes by Mitchell Robinson’s foul woes. Hartenstein gave a reasonable effort on defense but looked overwhelmed on the boards at times. He doesn’t have the strength to clear things out for teammates. That’s a specialty of Mitchell Robinson.
So Hart had some nice plays and blocks along the way, but his defensive impact still missed a beat.
Offensively, Hartenstein’s only success came from floaters. He was looked off while open from three a few times and missed his only ranged shot. The big man never got much going as a roll man. It all came together for a solid performance for a backup big, but not enough impact for starter minutes. Hart gets a 2 out of 5 for being okay, but nothing more.
Sticking to the rotation hurts Thibodeau and the Knicks
I had a flashback to last season’s nightmares during this loss to the Bucks.
The Knicks were on the verge of a comeback in the third quarter before blowing a 4-on-1 break with sloppy passing and an ugly attempt from RJ Barrett. The Bucks responded with back-to-back threes and then another basket. Tom Thibodeau called time out but left the exact same line-up in the game. The Bucks used the time out to sub in fresh legs and continued their assault unimpeded.
It was a “third-quarter of death,” complete with Thibs using a timeout but achieving nothing from it. He stuck to a failing rotation with the starters outplayed longer than necessary. Staggering line-ups with a comfortable lead or clear advantages are nice, but Thibodeau needs to show creativity when the team is floundering. I saw these collapses too often last year, and this repeat only required the Bucks to stop Brunson.
I’ll throw in that Obi should have played more, if only to try and create better space for struggling starters. Evan Fournier should have sat as soon as that third-quarter time-out was called. Derrick Rose needed more minutes if he’s not on a restriction.
I don’t know that any one decision would turn these results around, but I’d like to see anything other than repeated futility from trying the same failing thing over and over. Thibodeau gets a 1.5 out of 5, with half a point coming from letting RJ play with the second unit a bit.
Closing Thoughts
I was clear about my worries in the closing thoughts of my last recap. This team isn’t defending well enough to keep up with any opponent that strings together stops. The problems are mainly on the perimeter, and they’re exactly what everyone worried about during the offseason. RJ Barrett’s regression on defense only exacerbates the shoddy defense from starters.
Since Barrett and Brunson are never going to sit, the solution comes with replacing Evan Fournier as a starter. Immanuel Quickley deserved a look with starters dating back to last season. Cam Reddish adds more size and athleticism to improve the unit’s ability to close on shooters. Quentin Grimes will be back at some point too.
I’d like to see something change if New York continues to struggle against the better teams during this upcoming stretch. My biggest concern is that Tom Thibodeau is slow to adjust, and we may watch games slip away in a rinse-and-repeat fashion.
The next test comes against the Cavs on Sunday. They present the same interior issues with size and defense that Milwaukee did. Donovan Mitchell is probably licking his chops when he watches New York’s defensive game tape. But the Knicks have every reason to step up. The front office chose these players instead of a deal for Mitchell, so they need to justify that decision.
When the dust clears, I’ll either be very frustrated or mightily relieved. We’ll discuss it after the next one, Knicks fam. I’ll see you then!
Stay tuned to KnicksFanTV.com for the latest Knicks news, rumors, and recaps throughout the NBA season. And in case you missed it, check out Knicks Weekly, where CP, Alex, and the fans discuss Jalen Brunson’s clutch performance against the Charlotte Hornets!
