Knicks' Reindeer Pains Continue, Fall to Bucks

The New York Knicks were once again muddled by the Milwaukee Bucks, who enjoyed a standout performance off the bench from former Manhattanite Bobby Portis.

The best Christmas gift that the New York Knicks can ask for is the fact that, after the 25th, they won't see the Milwaukee Bucks again until April.

New York dropped the first half of a Christmas weekend doubleheader with the Bucks on Saturday afternoon, falling by a 130-111 final at Madison Square Garden. With the loss, the Knicks (16-12) remain winless in three get-togethers with the Bucks and they're also 0-7 against current conference leaders Milwaukee, Boston, and Minnesota.

They'll face the current Western Conference runner-up Oklahoma City on Wednesday, but another tilt with the Bucks (22-7) awaits on Monday as the opener of the NBA's five-game Christmas slate (12 p.m. ET, ESPN). 

Jalen Brunson was perhaps the only Knick who landed on the nice list when it came to Saturday shooting, scoring a game-best 36 on a 15-of-26 output from the field. Beyond Brunson, however, the Knicks shot only 39 percent from the field, those struggles headlined by a 5-of-16 effort from RJ Barrett. Most of the makes were earned when the two teams exchanged baskets in the final stages, where the result was all but assured. 

Away from the scoreboard, Mitchell Robinson's prescience was also sorely missed: Milwaukee held a drastic plus-13 advantage on the overall glass, plus-XX alone on defense. Robinson replacement Isaiah Hartenstein got into early foul trouble, forcing Taj Gibson into early important minutes.

But the Bucks' advantage was primarily built from the outside: the Bucks were an even 16-of-32 from three-point range, five alone coming from the arms of Malik Beasley while Damian Lillard and Bobby Portis.

Portis, a ghost of Knicks past and Brunson's teammate from the American effort at the FIBA Basketball World Cup, was the star for Milwaukee, earning a 23-point, 11-rebound doubled-double off the bench. The Bucks also extended the NBA's longest active winning streak to seven games with their win.