Giannis Antetokounmpo comes back strong as Milwaukee Bucks top Knicks
By Phil Watson
One game after a mysterious benching, Giannis Antetokounmpo returned with a vengeance Friday night at Madison Square Garden, going for 23 points and nine rebounds as the Milwaukee Bucks reduced their magic number to one for clinching a playoff berth with a 99-91 win over the moribund New York Knicks.
The Bucks (39-40) could have clinched Friday night, but the rest of the Eastern playoff contenders did not cooperate, as the Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets and Indiana Pacers all won their games Friday.
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A loss by any one of the three would have put the Bucks into the postseason.
Milwaukee led 52-49 at halftime and put the game away with a big third quarter, leading by as much as 19 and taking an 81-65 lead into the fourth period.
Antetokounmpo scored 11 points in the third period and Khris Middleton added 10 as the Bucks outscored the Knicks 29-16, opening the period on a 17-2 run.
Milwaukee now leads the ninth-place Pacers by three games with three to play.
The Bucks can’t clinch until Sunday—none of the four teams involved in the race for the final three playoff spots in the East are in action Saturday.
Apr 10, 2015; New York, NY, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Khris Middleton (22) shoots the ball during the first quarter against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
“Yeah, that’s what we heard when we came back into the locker room,” point guard Michael Carter-Williams told The Associated Press. “Everyone’s fighting. That’s the game and knowing it’s not going to be easy, we’ve just got to keep fighting and playing until the end.”
In any event, it’s still an amazing turnaround for the Bucks, who had the worst record in the NBA last season at 15-67.
New York (15-64) is closing in on clinching that dubious distinction this season.
The Knicks only got their deficit to less than 10 points twice in the final quarter, including getting it to eight points on Langston Galloway’s running jumper with 1.1 seconds remaining.
Middleton added 22 points and six steals for the Bucks, while Carter-Williams added 19 points, seven assists and four steals. Jared Dudley also had three steals as the Knicks committed 26 turnovers, contributing to 33 Bucks’ points.
Apr 10, 2015; New York, NY, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) shoots the ball during the first quarter against the New York Knicksat Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
John Henson chipped in with two blocked shots.
For the Knicks, Galloway had 20 points, Lance Thomas added 16, Shane Larkin scored 14 points to go with five assists, Jason Smith tossed in 11 points and Louis Amundson went for 10 points, 11 rebounds and two blocked shots.
Antetokounmpo did not stay to speak with reporters, but coach Jason Kidd liked how the second-year forward responded to not playing on Wednesday.
“I thought he responded in a positive way,” Kidd said. “I thought he played a great game. Michael played a great game. Those two guys definitely helped us win.”
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Milwaukee is seeking to become the first team to reach the playoffs the year after finishing with the NBA’s worst record since the Miami Heat in 2008-09, also one year after going 15-67.
The Bucks can go for the clinch on Sunday when they host the Brooklyn Nets (37-42) at 2 p.m. Sunday at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.
That could be sweet for Kidd, who took the Nets to the second round of the playoffs in his lone season as Brooklyn’s coach last season before coming to the Bucks.
Brooklyn did its part to prevent Milwaukee from clinching Friday night by pasting the Washington Wizards 117-80 at home.
The Bucks have taken two of three from the Nets this season, including a 103-97 win at home on Feb. 9. Brooklyn won the last meeting at Barclays Center on March 20, 129-127 in triple overtime. Both games in Brooklyn needed three overtimes to determine a winner.