As far as the franchise is concerned, it is not a herald, the Knicks kicked off the second half of the season in Milwaukee on Thursday in disastrous form.
After all the hope they had gained in the first half of their season, the Knicks seemed unrecognizable as they fell 35 points behind in the fourth quarter at the Fiserv Forum.
The Bucks, knocked out by the Knicks in a contest at the start of the season, won a pleasant revenge with a 134-101 shot behind All-Star MVP triple-double Giannis Antetokounmpo (24 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists) in 29 minutes). The 134 points were the most allowed by the Knicks this season.
“Obviously disappointed with the result,” said Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau. “It simply came to our notice then. I don’t think anyone played particularly well. ”
As Julius Randle goes, so does Knicks. And it didn’t go well. Randle later admitted that he has a history of slow starts after the All-Star break.
Randle, who watched live as “The Greek Freak” ranked 16-for-16 in Sunday’s All-Star Game, had a poor start after the break. Defeated by Bucks’ defense, Randle finished with seven points, shot 3 of 12 and committed five turnovers. He posted six assists, but the league leader in a few minutes seemed lethargic.
“I was fine,” Randle said of his physical condition. “It simply came to our notice then. I tried to sprinkle the ball and read. I missed a few photos, plans, things I do forever, but I’m not too worried, man. From what I remember, the last few years, the first game of the break, I don’t know why, I’m always sh-y. I’ll be right back to him. ”
Thibodeau felt that Randle had not read correctly – something he had done all season at an All-Star level.
“I think I’m reading the game,” Thiboeau said. “The game will tell you what photos to take. You can’t predetermine what you’re going to do. You have to understand when you are the first option and someone hires and sends a second defender, as the main scorer you have the responsibility to make the game right. ”
At the end of the third quarter, Antetokounmpo slipped Randle’s dribbling on the front field and sprinted for a dunk and a 20-point lead. It was that kind of 2019-20 night for Randle, who seemed to need another week off.
Randle didn’t think the Antetokounmpo match was too much of a burden, but not having goalkeeper Derrick Rose (COVID-19 edition) for a third straight game could have hurt.
“We just didn’t play well offensively and they hit shots,” Randle said. “I am not going to apologize. It is what it is. I’m not really trying to balance it. “
The Knicks fell to .500 at 19-19. They took a break with a winning record, after a score of 8-3, but seven of these victories came against clubs well below 0.500.
The Knicks begin the second half of the season with four road games – continuing Saturday in Oklahoma City, which defeated the Knicks at the Garden in January. The Knicks then play against the top two teams in the East, visiting Brooklyn and Philadelphia.
Their defense will have to be much more alert. Knicks had prevented Antetokounmpo early on by building a wall in the paint and keeping him at just two points in the first quarter. But the Bucks came out in the quick inning from the Knicks mistakes to open things up.
“Every time you work in a certain area, you will be vulnerable in other areas,” Thibodeau said. “But we should not give up everything and that is what we have come to do. So we didn’t deal with the transition. We didn’t take care of the paint. We didn’t bother to cover the line, and then we didn’t finish our defense with a good comeback. They have almost everything they wanted. ”
The Bucks charged 68-51 ahead at the break, raising their energy in the middle of the second quarter, while the Knicks became sloppy.
The crash started with a pair of bad pieces by debutant Obi Toppin. The 2020 Knicks lottery election allowed Antetokounmpo to score over him. Then, on the other end, Toppin threw a short pass directly to Donte DiVincenzo of Milwaukee, who entered a quick half and picked up the momentum.
Randle, 1 of 8 in the first half for three points, then lost the handle of a runner, leading to another quick break for DiVincenzo.
This was the first of 35 games in 67 days, as the Knicks are trying to double the first half of their successful season. Of these games, 23 are against clubs with winning records. The Bucks (23-14) were just the first.
“We need to get back immediately,” Randle said. “OKC still. We won’t worry about that. ”