Knicks – Bucks: Jrue Holiday ruins Jalen Brunson’s big night

The previous meeting between the two teams this season at Madison Square Garden in November had already resulted in a victory. dollarsafter a crazy “finish”.

A little over a month later, the script repeated itself, as Wisconsin once again captured the victory in epic circumstances, notably coming back from a 17-point deficit to win at the end of the stretch. , “at the end of money – time” Jrue Holiday was the chief. Author to knock down a pair of free throws in the final minutes after two huge game-winning shots KnicksMilwaukee’s leader got off to a rough start with 3 turnovers in the first quarter, but actually pulled out all the stops on the league’s most storied stage.

Collectively, though, it was a long marathon for Mike Budenholzer’s men, dominated for three quarters head and shoulders above an uninspired attack, all too well neutralized by an exemplary Knicks defense. But Giannis Antetokounmpo and teammates were able to turn their backs without waking up at the right moment, and this was fatal for the residents of “MSG”, who suffered physical injuries at the end of the match.

The latter, the author of the best defensive game for three quarters before collapsing in the final period, will surely regret not getting home a point when the Bucks faltered, especially since the loss broke his new career record. Jalen Brunson (44 points), but should also be encouraged by their release. Because despite deep sloppiness in shooting (38%), Tom Thibodeau’s men have proven they can push an Eastern Conference cador to their limits this season, relying on their defense, which ranks in the league’s Top 10 (9th best). rating).

WHAT TO REMEMBER

– A game of stragglers from the Bucks. When the Knicks led by 17 points in the second quarter, we didn’t give the Bucks much skin thanks to a pressure defense that confused the opposing offense. But as we say, the NBA game is a marathon, not a sprint, and the Bucks managed to come together when it mattered most: at the finish. change of impulse Five Knicks (78-73) came back when the guests, who were busy at the end of the third quarter, closed this third movement on 20-8. Earlier, for the first time in the game, really getting going offensively, scoring 38 points (including 7 game-winning shots) in the final quarter against a Knicks defense that was narrowly losing for the first time in the game. it has few attractions. Brutal for one team, epic for another.

– Jrue Holiday, ” 0 to 100 fast ». In the words of rapper Drake. Because the Bucks leader, who was way off the mark throughout the first three quarters and the start of the fourth quarter like a racing car accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h, grew furiously in power. l a few seconds, when the “money time” team needs a savior. At the beginning of the match, when he joined the bench almost five minutes after his third foul, no one could have imagined that he would become the executioner of Madison Square Garden almost two hours later. Logically enough, the lack of rhythm, due to a long stay on the bench in the first half, the Bucks guard did not weigh in his team’s offense, and also suffered defensively against the elusive Jalen Brunson. He wasn’t daunted, however, in the final moments when he coolly calmed the Knicks and their home crowd with two big step-backs off a screen and a pair of free throws to finish the job. .

– Weird (but good) play by Julius Randle. We talked about Jrue Holiday’s slow start to foul play above, but Julius Randle’s start was just as painful. For a different reason: clumsiness on shots, Knicks power forward who finished the first quarter with 2 points… 1/12 on shots! Over the entire meet, that’s a terrible 9/29 (for 25 points), including an incredible 1/12 behind the arc. And yet: MIP 2021 was a good match, as it compensated for the worst evening of the season in filming with a tenfold increase in activity in other areas. Especially in rebounding and passing (16 and 5, respectively), but also and especially in defense. The stats don’t really reflect his impact on the field, but he was really satisfying in the half of the court, especially when he used his body to block Giannis Antetokounmpo in the half court, so the “Greek Freak” didn’t just “just” finish. 22 points and 10 rebounds. Randle, who was very greedy in shooting, knew how to remain “valuable” for his people. A sign of a growing player.

TOPS & FLOPS

✅ Giannis Antetokounmpo. Although more subdued than his recent performances, in a long, soft attack for his team, the “Greek Freak” did the “Greek Freak”: he “found a way to be valuable. With regular contributions in all areas: 22 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and Block 2. Almost a lackluster evening by the season’s exceptional standards.

✅ Joe Ingles. The Australian veteran, who has not been used much this season, has come out of the forest to spoil the fun in the Knicks garden. In 28 minutes off the bench, he torpedoed the New Yorkers behind the arc (5/11) to give himself a team-best (+14). A perfect matchup of a “role player” as he was in his best years in Utah.

✅ Jalen Brunson and Immanuel Quickley. On a dark night for the Knicks offense, the pair of backs held the house brilliantly, while Julius Randle struggled with his awkwardness. So Jalen Brunson had the best game of his career offensively, 44 points on 15/30 shooting (with 7 rebounds and 4 assists). Villanova, who was in Olympic form, seriously undermining him for the All-Star Game, abused the Bucks’ defense by cutting off their defense. drop to change tastes: four award-winning shots from the screen, 10 points at the free throw line, the rest at midrange. Only defeat spoiled everything. For Immanuel Quickley, a 23-point performance on 9/14 in shooting that confirmed a definite uptick in strength for a few games started five starts in place of RJ Barrett, who suffered a finger injury.

⛔️ The Knicks bench. We know the bench hasn’t been the Knicks’ strong point this season, especially since Tom Thibodeau bolstered his rotation in early December. However, the “second unit”, which scored only 9 points, came close to being useless in this meeting, while the Bucks scored 35 points. Undoubtedly, this is one of the X factors of the meeting.

NEXT

– Knicks (22-19): Pacers welcome Tuesday through Thursday night (1:30 a.m.)

– Dollar (26-14): Visit Atlanta, Wednesday night through Thursday (1:30 a.m.)