The New York Knicks started with a surprise on the traditional Christmas day in the NBA after beating the Milwaukee Bucks 122-129 at Madison Square Garden.
The New York quintet is the one that has played the most games on December 25, with a total of 56, and now has 24 wins on its record, the second highest record, only surpassed by the Los Angeles Lakers.
From the opening quarter, the Knicks took the lead on the scoreboard, achieving a double-digit difference that was maintained during the remaining three innings. In every attempt by Milwaukee to react, a Brunson basket appeared. Jalen finished with 38 points, six assists and four rebounds. But he wasn’t the only New York player who stood out on the offensive end.
“We’ve battled this team all year and the fact that we got a win today is special,” Brunson said after the game. “I liked the way we have maintained the lead, even though it has been cut. We kept our poise and found a way to keep it going and win.”
So did Julius Randle with 24, Rowan Alexander with 21 and even substitute Immanuel Quickley added 20.
“We had a lot of guys in double figures and a lot of assists,” Quickley said. “It was fun to play like that when everyone is moving and playing [el balón]. I think our defense really mixed with our offense, so that has to be the way every night.”
For the Bucks, their great figures Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 32 points each, while Khris Middleton finished with 24. The Knicks shot a very high 54.3% from the field, compared to Milwaukee’s 47.9%. The 11 turnovers they suffered in the contest had little effect on the locals.
“They came out and played like they had practiced and talked about,” Lillard said. “They played faster, they played with a lot of energy and I think they also had a more collective effort. Many of them contributed to the victory. “We could have done a lot of things better, and we gave ourselves a little chance at the end, but it was too late.”
Brunson has had a lot of success against Milwaukee this season despite New York’s 1-3 record in those games, averaging 35.8 points against the Bucks this year.
“Many times in our coverage, [Brunson] “He’s been able to get to his points, but overall we’ve been able to control the game regardless,” Lillard said. “But sometimes when a guy gets rolling and they get comfortable and start to feel good, when it becomes a tight game it can be a problem.”
For his part, Antetokounmpo said: “It was kind of like a playoff game. We’ve played this team four times in the last month, month and a half. Twice in the last few days.
“It’s a good test for us. We’re going to play teams in the playoffs twice [en la carretera], so being able to win the first, lose the second, is good. We will learn from it.”
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