Jalen Brunson's 38-point performance led the New York Knicks to a 129-122 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night. The Christmas Day win ended the Bucks' seven-win streak and their nine-win streak over New York.
The Tom Thibodeau squad surged to a nine-point lead into the first quarter and maintained the lead throughout the entire game. Other than Brunson, Julius Randle contributed 24 points and nine rebounds, Immanuel Quickley added 20 points, and RJ Barrett gave the team 21 points. Isaiah Hartenstein and Josh Hart also made significant contributions off the bench.
"They're a good team. We feel like we're a good team as well, so just kind of taking that challenge, accepting that challenge that we hadn't got them yet. It had been a while, so this was a good one to get," said Quickley.
The Bucks had been the dominant force when the team met before Monday, including a 130-111 win in the first game of the two-part series. Brunson's exceptional performance was the highlight in ending the dominance, going 15-28 from the field.
On the other side of the court, Milwaukee's performance in the game was out of the ordinary. Khris Middleton scored 24 points, and Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard each scored 32 points, but it was insufficient to secure another win.
"We knew coming in everything that we were lined up for, and it is what it is. We got the first one, we came in for this one, they got off to a good start, they played a great game, and we just got outplayed," Lillard said.
The Bucks, averaging 132.4 points in December, fell behind early in the game and only managed to narrow the gap in the closing minutes. Bucks coach Adrian Gryphon acknowledged the Knicks' competitiveness and the Buck's failure to create scoring opportunities.
"I thought they out-competed us today for the most part. I thought offensively we got some good looks, but we just couldn't knock them down. And when you're on the road, you get clean looks, you've got to knock them down," said Griffin.
Bucks to face Nets
The Bucks have played two games so far in their current visit to New York—one on Saturday and another on Christmas. The Bucks are gearing up for another game against the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday.
This will mark the second time an NBA team plays three straight road games in the New York metro area, and it is the first time that one of the games took place during Christmas, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Bucks power forward Bobby Portis said he did not even have the time to decorate his house. That said, guard Pat Connaughton claimed that there is no place like New York during the Christmas season, so he and his team were grateful to spend their time there.
Rookie Andre Jackson said he wanted to make time to visit his grandmother upstate. Meanwhile, Antetokounmpo said that his relatives also came to New York and that he might go to a Broadway play. His younger brother, Alex Antetokounmpo, who plays for the Wisconsin Herd in the NBA G League, will also be in New York to face the Long Island Nets on December 27.