Milwaukee Bucks vs New York Knicks: Match Preview and Predictions - 21st December 2019
Match details
Fixture: Milwaukee Bucks vs New York Knicks
Date & Time: Saturday, 21 December 2019 (7:30 PM ET)
Venue: Madison Square Garden, New York City
Last Game Results
Milwaukee Bucks (25-4): 111-104 win over the Los Angeles Lakers (19 December)
New York Knicks (7-22): 114-129 loss to the Miami Heat (20 December)
Milwaukee Bucks Preview
The battle of the respective conference leaders ended with the Bucks beating the Lakers on Thursday. It was a statement win for the Bucks as they proved to the world that they are no less a contender for the throne.
Giannis Antetokounmpo dropped 34 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. But it was a complete team effort by the Bucks as five players scored in double digits. The bench contributed 34 points, out of which Goerge Hill scored 21 in 27 minutes of play.
The Bucks shot more than 40% from the field and beyond the arc, and they will be keen to maintain the same tonight as they face one of the lowest ranked teams in the East.
Key Player - Giannis Antetokounmpo
Giannis Antetokounpo is averaging 31.8 points, 12.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks per game this season. He is shooting 56.5% from the field and 33.8% from the three-point line. He shot five three-pointers against the Lakers, which was the highest number of threes made by him in a single game in his NBA career.
Giannis' numbers have improved with every season, and the trend has continued in 2019-20. He is one of the front-runners for the MVP award and the backbone of the Bucks team.
Giannis would be expected to put up another dominant performance as he faces the low-ranked Knicks.
Bucks' Predicted Lineup
Donte DiVincenzo, Wes Matthews, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez, Khris Middleton
New York Knicks Preview
The Knicks suffered another blowout loss to the Miami Heat yesterday. They looked helpless from start to finish, and were trailing by 34 points at one point.
For the Knicks, Bobby Portis dropped a team-high 30 points coming off the bench. Mitchell Robinson and Marcus Morris contributed 18 and 15 points respectively, while Julius Randle pitched in with 13 points.
The Knicks were weak on defence and didn't seem to have the urgency to win. RJ Barrett had a bad night with just two points, and things don't look good for them as they face a back-to-back test against the high-flying Bucks.
Key Player - Julius Randle
Averaging 17.2 points and 8.8 rebounds this season, Julius Randle needs to bring his best against the Bucks to make some kind of an impact on the result.
He racked up 19 points when these two teams faced each other last time, and would be looking to do the same tonight. I am not expecting a miracle victory for the Knicks, but they can pull off a respectable loss if Randle puts up some numbers and works well on the defence.
Knicks' Predicted Lineup
Frank Ntilikina, RJ Barrett, Marcus Morris, Julius Randle, Taj Gibson
Bucks vs Knicks Match Prediction
The Knicks have won just seven games this season and are up against one of the strongest teams in the league tonight. They have shown some spark lately, but that is not enough for me to even predict a miracle here.
There is little doubt that the Bucks are expected to beat them tonight. I am predicting a rout.
Where to Watch Bucks vs Knicks?
You can live stream the game via NBA League Pass.