What the franchise says is not a harbinger, the Knicks started the second half of the season in Milwaukee on Thursday.
After all the hope gained from the first half of the season, the Knicks seemed unrecognizable as they fell behind by 35 points in the fourth quarter at the Fiserv Forum.
The Bucks, busted by the Knicks in an early-season competition, took a sweet revenge with a 134-101 win behind triple-star MVP triple Giannis Antetokounmpo (24 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists in 29 minutes). The 134 points were the most allowed by the Knicks this season.
“Viouslybviated disappointed with the result,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “We were all out of class. I don’t think anyone played particularly well. “
As Julius Randle goes, so do the Knicks. And it didn’t go well. Randle admitted after he had a history of slow starts after the All-Star break.
Randle, who watched live as “The Greek Freak” went 16-on-16 in Sunday’s All-Star Game, had a bad start after the break. Taken off by the Bucks defense, Randle finished with seven points, shot 3 of 12 and committed five losses. He posted six assists, but the league leader in minutes seemed lethargic.
“He was fine,” Randle said of his fitness. “It simply came to our notice then. I tried spraying the ball and doing readings. I’ve missed a couple of shots, dispositions, things I do forever, but I’m not too worried, man. From what I remember, the last couple of years, the first game out of the break, I don’t know why, I’m always shit. I’ll be right back. “
Thibodeau felt that Randle was not doing the right readings, which he has been doing all season at the All-Star level.
“I think he’s reading the game,” Thiboeau said. “The game will tell you what shots to take. You cannot predetermine what you will do. You have to understand when you are the first choice and someone commits and sends a second defender, as the top scorer you have the responsibility to make the right game. “
At the end of the third quarter, Antetokounmpo slid Randle’s dribble into the front court and ran on his back to get a dive and a 20-point lead. It was that kind of 2019-20 return night for Randle, who seemed to need one more week of rest.
Randle didn’t think the match against Antetokounmpo was too heavy, but not having goalkeeper Derrick Rose (COVID-19 numbers) for a third straight game may have taken its toll.
“I just didn’t play well offensively and they kicked,” Randle said. “I will not apologize for that. It is what it is. I’m not really trying to balance it. “
The Knicks fell to .500 between 19 and 19. They came into the break with a record of wins after an 8-3, but seven of those wins came against clubs well below .500.
The Knicks begin the second half of the season with four road games: Saturday in Oklahoma City, which beat the Knicks at the Garden in January. The Knicks then play against the top two teams in the East, visiting Brooklyn and Philadelphia.
Your defense will need to be much more alert. The Knicks had hindered Antetokounmpo by soon building a wall in the paint and keeping him just two points clear in the first quarter. But the Bucks quickly withdrew from the Knicks to open things up.
“Whenever you commit to a specific area, you will be vulnerable in other areas,” Thibodeau said. “But we must not give up everything, and that is what we ended up doing. So we didn’t deal with the transition. We didn’t deal with painting. We didn’t bother to cover the line and then we didn’t end our defense bouncing well. They got almost everything they wanted. “
The Bucks advanced 68-51 at halftime as they increased their energy in the middle of the second quarter, while the Knicks remained sloppy.
The collapse began with a couple of bad plays from rookie Obi Toppin. The Knicks ’2020 lottery selection allowed Antetokounmpo to score him inside. Then, at the other end, Toppin threw a short pass to Donte DiVincenzo of Milwaukee, who ran for a quick dive and picked up the momentum.
Randle, 1 of 8 in the first half by three points, lost the handle of a runner, causing another quick jump for DiVincenzo.
This was the first of 35 games in 67 days as the Knicks tried to double their first half of the season. Of those matches, 23 are against clubs with winning records. The Bucks (23-14) were just the first.
“We have to go back,” Randle said. “Next OKC. We will not worry about that. “