With a trip to Las Vegas (what the players really care about) the NBA In-Season Tournament semi-finals on the line, the Bucks suddenly did something everyone had been begging to see more of this season: Damian Lillard/Giannis Antetokounmpo pick-and-rolls.
It worked. Everything Milwaukee did worked.
Antetokounmpo scored 35 and had 10 assists, Lillard added 28 while hitting 5-of-7 from 3, and the Bucks pulled away in the second half for a 146-122 win over the Knicks.
Giannis goes WAY UP TOP for the lob 😲
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) December 6, 2023
🏆 NBA In-Season Tournament pic.twitter.com/G4MuRUfh70
With the win the Bucks are headed to Las Vegas for an In-Season Tournament showdown with the high-scoring Pacers (Indiana won the one meeting between these teams this season back in early November, 126-124, in a game Lillard missed). The Knicks will head to Boston to play the Celtics on Friday.
This game was won from the 3-point line: The Bucks shot 23-of-38 (60.5%) from beyond the arc, while the Knicks were 7-of-23 (30.4%). Outscore a team by 48 from the 3-point line and the outcome is not in doubt.
It also helped that this was the best of the Bucks defensively. The Knicks’ lack of shooting helped, but this was closer to the vintage Bucks defense that helped them win a title than we have seen from them much of this season.
Julius Randle scored 41 for the Knicks on 14-of-19 shooting, while Jalen Brunson added 24.
Milwaukee had balance. In addition to Antetokounmpo and Lillard, they had Michael Beasley score 18 with six 3-pointers, Bobby Portia scored 13 off the bench and Cameron Payne added a dozen.
