After losing the last two games, the Milwaukee Bucks beat the New York Knicks Saturday night 106-91 in what may have been their best all-around team win of the year.
Five Bucks scored 17 or more points with Michael Carter-Williams leading the way with his season-high 20 points off the bench. Carter-Williams gave the team a spark by attacking the basket, setting the tempo, and playing solid defense.
“The bigs did a great job of setting screens and the wings did a great job of spacing. I was able to get down in the lane, make a shot and make the defense pay,” said Carter-Williams.
(Image from wtmj.com)
O.J. Mayo started the game at point guard for the Bucks and scored his season-high as well with 17 points tonight. Bucks head coach Jason Kidd was very pleased with Mayo’s play tonight by saying, “You have to tip your hat to Juice (O.J. Mayo). I thought he set the tone by running the offense and making sure guys touched the ball. I think he showed what it means to be a true teammate, set the table for his teammates, and he was able to be rewarded at the end of the game by getting that three.”
Mid way through the third quarter the Bucks went on a 15-0 run to make the score 73-52, and forced Knicks head coach Derek Fisher to call a timeout. The Knicks answered with an 11-2 run after the time out and got within 10 points with 1:21 to go in the third. However, that’s as close as the Knicks would get.
“The guys didn’t panic, they understood what they had to do, and they shared the ball. Michael did a really good job with the tempo, being aggressive, getting in the paint and being able to finish,” said Kidd on when the Knicks trimmed the lead down from 21 to 10.
The Bucks only shot a total of 4 three-pointers, yet still put up over 100 points. It was the first time since 2007 that the Bucks only shot four three-pointers in a game.
“It’s kind of a special situation. That just doesn’t happen in today’s game. We only shot four and one was probably forced because the shot clock was running down. It showed that we were sharing the ball, and guys all got their touches,” said Kidd.
Jabari Parker set his season-highs with 17 points and played 36 minutes. Greg Monroe recorded his 10th double-double of the season with 18 points and 14 rebounds. Carmelo Anthony led the way for the Knicks with 18 points.
Up next for the Bucks is another home contest against the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night (12/7).