The New York Knicks dropped Doc Rivers‘ Bucks even further in the standings by soundly beating them 116-94 on their return to Madison Square Garden.
Karl Anthony-Towns was unstoppable with 27 of his 32 points in the first half alone; There were also 11 rebounds and 5 assists thanks to excellent 11/20 shooting.
“The guys in this locker room have welcomed me with open arms and made me feel very comfortable right from the start and they just want me to play my game,” Towns told the newspaper. NYPost.
“Of course there will be moments when we have to find cohesion among everyone as we are not used to playing together, but we are improving every day,” admitted the center.
The summer’s other big signing, Mikal Bridges, scored 12 of his 17 points after passing through the locker room, and the Knicks (4-4) are getting some breathing room after their two straight losses to the Rockets and Hawks.
Jalen Brunson, for his part, is still not very sharp, as evidenced by his 0/5 on three-point shots, although he did match his best record of the course with 9 basket attempts. Also worth highlighting is OG Anunoby‘s excellent work defending against Antetokounmpo. His shadow all night long.
“You want to talk about the offense, but I think the defense gave us the win tonight,” the aforementioned Towns said.
“OG Anunoby is very special. What he contributes on defense… I’ve been in this league for almost a decade and I’ve never seen anything like this. One of the best defenders I’ve ever seen. And I’ve been with Rudy Gobert for many years,” he admitted.
Rivers, on the rope
Doc Rivers ended up with the Bucks as the team’s “savior” after Adrian Griffin was fired, despite posting a 30-13 record in his debut as an NBA head coach.
However, the Bucks’ maneuver was unsuccessful and the team is worse than it started. They are currently 2-7 and there are rumors of a possible transfer of star Giannis Antetokounmpo due to the roster’s lack of competitiveness.
Rivers was more worried about his team than the constant questions about his former assistant Thibodeau that the New York press bombarded him with. And it is logical because if we continue on this path, it is likely that Milwaukee will not end up eating the nougat.
“But have you seen us? Have you seen our record? “I think that’s what worries me the most right now,” Rivers said in response to constant questions about Thibs.
“I know the Knicks coach very well and I know he can bring everything together. I have no doubt about that,” he added.
More highlights
Knicks: Another day where his entire starting quintet contributed double-digit points. cities (32); bridges (17); Brunson (15); Anunoby (14) and Josh Hart with 11 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists.
Off the bench, Miles McBride scored 14 points and 5 rebounds, and newcomer Matt Ryan played his first minutes with a converted triple.
“It will take a while for us all to stick together like we did last year. “It’s a different team, so we have to learn every day,” Jalen Brunson admitted.
Bucks: Antetokounmpo was their biggest representative with 24 points and 12 rebounds, and Damian Lillard contributed 19 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists.
See you next time
The Bucks host the reigning NBA champions on Sunday and the Knicks also play in the Pacers’ pavilion that day.
(Titelbild: Elsa/Getty Images)
