This Wednesday, the (14-5) Milwaukee Bucks will travel to New York, NY to take on the (9-11) New York Knicks. Tipoff will be at 7:30 PM EST inside Madison Square Garden. Both of these Eastern Conference teams are looking to move up in the standings, but the last time they matched up, the Bucks walked away with a 119-108 win.
The Milwaukee Bucks are coming into this game after taking down the Dallas Mavericks 124-115. They looked great on the offensive end of the court, as they shot 55.8% from the floor. They will have to stay efficient with the ball in their hands if they want to challenge the Knicks on the road.
The Knicks are entering this one after falling to the Memphis Grizzlies, 127-123. New York struggled on the defensive end of the court, as they allowed the Grizzlies to score 64 points inside the paint. They will have to contest more shots near the rim and on the perimeter, if they want to take down the Bucks at home.
This game was written/published before last night's results.
The Milwaukee Bucks are currently in second place in the Eastern Conference, as they trail the Boston Celtics by two games. They are also (5-5) in their last 10, as they will have to start stacking wins if they want to inch closer to first place. On offense, they are scoring 112.5 points per game and they have shot 45.7% from the floor. This is the 15th most points scored per contest, but the 23rd-lowest team shooting percentage. According to dunksandthrees.com, the Bucks have an adjusted offensive rating of 111.2, which is the 18th-highest rating in the league. Giannis Anterokounmpo continues to lead the way for the Bucks, as he is scoring 30.9 points and snatching 11.4 rebounds per game. Milwaukee has been much more efficient when they drive the ball to the hole, as they are only shooting 35.2% from deep. This is the 17th-highest three-point shooting percentage in the NBA, as they aren't considered to be an outstanding shooting team. The Bucks have also struggled at the charity stripe, as they are only knocking down 71.4% of their shots at the stripe. This is the second-lowest team free-throw shooting percentage in the league, as they can't continue to leave points at the line if they want to consistently win these games.
On defense, the Bucks have been very difficult to consistently score on. According to dunksandthrees.com, Milwaukee has an adjusted defensive rating of 108, which is the lowest rating in the league. The Bucks are only allowing 107.6 points per game and their opponents have shot 44.8% from the field. This is the fifth least amount of points allowed per contest and the third lowest field goal shooting percentage given up. They contest shots near the rim, but their perimeter defense has lacked at different times this season. They have allowed their opponents to shoot 36.3% from deep, which is the 20th-highest three-point shooting percentage allowed in the league. Milwauk ee is also snatching 48.6 rebounds per game, which is the most in the NBA. They have to clean the glass and secure the ball after missed shots if they want to keep the Knicks from scoring second-chance points.
Injury Report: Serge Ibaka PF (Illness) is listed as questionable for this game. Kris Middleton SF (Wrist) and Joe Ingles SF (Knee) are out.
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