The New York Knicks start their three-game road trip on a sour note. On Tuesday, they dropped their second consecutive game to fall to 2-2 on the season, this time to the Milwaukee Bucks by a score of 111-121.
Knicks fell apart in the second half
The Knicks entered the halftime break up by 12 after scoring 71 points in the first half. Unfortunately, they didn’t replicate that in the second half.
New York was outscored 62-40 in the second half and had no answers for Giannis Antetokounmpo, who entered takeover mode in the second half. He finished the game with 37 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists, with 23 of those points coming in the second half.
After getting everybody involved in the offense in the first half, the ball moved around a lot less in the second half. The Knicks stopped being aggressive on the scoring front, and they couldn’t match the intensity defensively, ultimately costing them a chance at a bounce-back win.
Karl-Anthony Towns struggles for second straight game
Karl-Anthony Towns followed up his stinker from Sunday’s game against the Miami Heat with another rough performance on Tuesday. He went just 2-for-12 from the floor and 0-for-3 from three-point range, finishing with eight points and 12 rebounds.
It’s worth noting that Towns is playing through a groin injury, which could be playing a factor in his struggles. He hasn’t been nearly as aggressive offensively as he was last year, and he continues to struggle with fouls on the defensive end, picking up five in the loss to Milwaukee.
The Knicks need Towns to be at his best to win games, or else it will be tough sledding during the year.
Jalen Brunson put in another strong outing
Jalen Brunson tried to carry his team to a victory, but fell short of doing so for the second consecutive game. Despite the loss, the captain finished with 36 points on 14-for-25 shooting from the floor, his third straight 30-point outing.
Brunson had it going right away, and he had the Knicks in a great position to win. Unfortunately, similar to Sunday in Miami, the bench was unable to pick up for him while he was getting a rest, and things fell apart in the third quarter for them.
There was a brief injury scare for him, as late in the fourth quarter, he appeared to suffer an injury to his groin. After briefly going to the locker room during a timeout, he would come back into the game and finish the night on the floor, so they appeared to dodge a bullet.
Overview
After two strong games at home, the Knicks couldn’t capitalize on the road. They will hope to end the road trip with a victory on Friday when they take on the Chicago Bulls on Halloween night.