New York Knicks at Milwaukee Bucks Preview: How, Who to Watch in In-Season Tournament Tip-Off

The New York Knicks will tip off NBA In-Season Tournament play against the mighty Milwaukee Bucks.

As it turns out, an NBA "championship" can be won in November/December.

The NBA's inaugural In-Season Tournament will get underway on Friday night, which sees 25 days of group play tip off with seven contests. Among the primary matchups is an East Group B showdown between the New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks, which will give fans a glimpse of what might've been from last postseason: top-seeded Milwaukee would've faced the Knicks in the second round after the latter clipped the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games but lost to No. 8 Miami. 

Both sides have had some trouble retaining last year's luster in the early going: the Knicks have posted less than 90 points in two of the past three games, including a 95-89 defeat to the aforementioned Cavs on Wednesday night. Even with Damian Lillard in tow, the Bucks have also had some trouble getting it together, as they dropped a 19-point decision to the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday in Ontario. 

This will be the first of four meetings between the Knicks and Bucks this season. Two more await next month when the Bucks ring in Christmas with a back-to-back at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 23 and 25. Milwaukee won all three of last year's meetings with the Knicks and they enter tonight's game on a six-game winning streak against New York, 

What: New York Knicks (2-3, 0-0 In-Season Tournament) @ Milwaukee Bucks (2-2, 0-0 In-Season Tournament)

Where: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, WI

When/Watch: Friday, 7:30 p.m. ET, MSG/ESPN 

Who's Favored: MIL -5.5

Randle (30) guarded by Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Keep An Eye On: Julius Randle

There's no doubt that Julius Randle has meant a lot to the Knicks, but there are still questions over whether a team with Randle as the undoubted top option can win a championship. A slow start to the season isn't doing anything for Randle's case to deny that. 

To his credit, Randle appears to be making an effort to round his game out, as he's averaging a career-best in rebounds and putting up over five assists a game. But when the Knicks are struggling on the scoreboard, it's hard to peel eyes away from a 27 percent success rate from the field. Randle's scoring has thus suffered, as he's averaging just over 13 points a game.

While Jalen Brunson has been lauded for bringing stability to the Knicks' offense, Randle appears to be the straw that stirs its drink. With the In-Season Tournament made for star players like Randle, it'll be an imperative, pressure-packed opportunity for him to reclaim the narrative on his season.

Buck to Watch: Malik Beasley

The one name rightfully associated with Milwaukee basketball is Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Bucks' major acquisition over the summer was undoubtedly Lillard. But Beasley is making a name for himself in the early going after coming over from the Los Angeles Lakers.

Some believed that the Bucks' defense would suffer with Jrue Holiday sacrificed to Portland and later Boston in the name of acquiring Lillard. Beasley has helped pacify the relative downturn by putting up eight steals over his first two games, shutting down opposing passing lanes despite his relatively lithe frame. With the Knicks' offensive struggles well documented, Beasley is simply another problem they'll have to keep an eye on.

They Said It

“They’re keeping score, you got to care about it. I think everyone’s excited to see what it looks like.”-Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau on the In-Season Tournament (h/t Mark Sanchez, New York Post)

Prediction

The conspiracy theorists among the Knicks' fanbase could claim that the schedule maker has some sort of metropolitan grudge: six of their first seven games against fellow playoff competitors from last season and the eighth comes against the San Antonio Spurs, who are basking in Victor Wembanyama's early grasp of the professional game. 

Even though the Knicks showed an uncanny amount of resilience in last year's playoff run, it has yet to manifest this time around. It's cruel to doom this team, packed with talent and obviously capable of intriguing things, to a 2-4 start, but that's truly the state of Manhattan basketball at this point. If that means they lose some ground in the In-Season Tournament picture, whatever that's worth, so be it.

Bucks 102, Knicks 95