New York Knicks Ready for In-Season Tournament Rematch vs. Milwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks beat the New York Knicks in NBA In-Season Tournament group play but a rematch awaits in the knockout round.

The New York Knicks are moving on to the knockout round of the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament after beating the Charlotte Hornets 115-91 on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.

The 24-point win gave the Knicks (10-7, 3-1) a huge jump in the point differential tiebreaker, enough to qualify as the Eastern Conference wild card. It'll set the Knicks up with another game against the Milwaukee Bucks, who dealt them their lone loss of the four-part group play slate. 

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo defended by New York Knicks forward Julius Randle / © Vincent Carchietta, USA TODAY

Even the game's participants were still figuring out exactly how the In-Season Tournament works: several Knicks appeared to believe they were bound for Las Vegas, the site of the semifinals and champion matches in two weeks. 

“We were saying we’re going to Vegas, like when you say you’re going to Disney World when you win the Super Bowl,” Immanuel Quickley, who helped build the crucial point differential with 16 fourth quarter points against Charlotte, said, per Fred Katz of The Athletic.

The Knicks were already scheduled to play the Bucks four times in the regular season but an extra meeting awaits against the defending top seed of the Eastern Conference. It's perhaps making up for lost time: the Knicks and Bucks were slated to meet in last spring's Eastern Conference Semifinals but the latter fell to the eighth-seeded Miami Heat in a five-game upset. 

Head coach Tom Thibodeau vowed to have his team ready to play the Bucks no matter how many times they see them.

“If they tell us we have to play this team five times, we’ll play them five times and be ready,” Thibodeau said, per JJ Beale of amNewYork. “If they say it’s eight times, it’s eight times. Whatever the schedule says, that’s what you have… sometimes it’s in your favor, sometimes it’s not.”

Championship Buzz! Knicks Hex Hornets, Advance to NBA In-Season Tournament Knockout Round

The Bucks beat the Knicks 110-105 on Nov. 3 to kick off the group stage. Milwaukee (13-5, 4-0) held a consistent lead but the Knicks kept it close thanks to a 45-point effort from Jalen Brunson. 

Julius Randle has undoubtedly been the biggest difference since then: Randle shot an abysmal 5-of-20 in the last showdown but has resembled his All-Star form in the 11 games after that, averaging 23.4 points and 10 rebounds. Tuesday's game proved historic for Randle, who became the first Knick to post a 20-point, 20-rebound game since Enes Kanter Freedom in 2018.

Two games sit between the Knicks and a chance to play for Vegas, starting with a Thursday visit from the Detroit Pistons (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).