The Milwaukee Bucks were defeated 122-109 by the New York Knicks on Sunday at Fiserv Forum, dropping them for the fourth time in as many games and for the sixth time overall.

The Bucks (47-31) nonetheless secured a postseason place in spite of the defeat, and they are now one game ahead of the Knicks (46-32) and Orlando Magic (46-32) for the second seed in the Eastern Conference.

All-star forward Khris Middleton was also hurt during the game for the Bucks; with the team leading by ten points in the second quarter, he took a heavy blow to the mouth.

The Knicks had lost four of their previous five games and were in a similar slump going into the contest. However, the Bucks’ offense went cold in the second half and they were unable to stop star point guard Jalen Brunson on the defensive end.

For the Knicks, Jalen Brunson was unstoppable once more, tallying 43 points on 32 shots. In addition, he provided eight assists. Isaiah Hartenstein scored 16 and Donte DiVincenzo contributed 26.

Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee with 28 points and 15 rebounds. Bobby Portis scored 28 after coming off the bench. Of Damian Lillard’s twenty-three points, fourteen came from free throws. He shot 1 of 7 from beyond the three-point line and 4 of 11 from the field. 13 more points were contributed by Brook Lopez.

In the Fiserv Forum regular season finale on Wednesday, Milwaukee welcomes Orlando after hosting Boston on Tuesday.

Knicks surge as the Bucks fade in the second half.

Milwaukee grabbed a 61-50 lead over New York thanks to an exceptionally efficient 20-for-38 (52%) shooting performance in the first half. They also appeared to have rediscovered their game as they gave out 17 assists on those field goals.

However, they started the third quarter 1-for-6 and turned the ball over three times in a six-minute span, which allowed the Knicks to close the gap to 70-67. Sadly, Milwaukee was never able to regain that initial vigor and energy, while New York continued to make progress.

The Knicks went an amazing 14-for-19 (73.7%) in the quarter, including 4 of 5 from beyond the three-point line, while the Bucks were 8-for-17 for 24 points.

The Bucks were suddenly trailing the basket to begin the fourth quarter. When the fourth quarter began, they were behind 12 at 99-87.

In the opening 14 minutes and 49 seconds of the second half, New York established a 49-26 advantage over the Bucks. After then, Milwaukee was never the same.

In addition to his four assists, Brunson scored 14 of his points in the third quarter.

Bucks secure a playoff berth.
Milwaukee’s victory over Orlando and their earlier-day loss to Miami combined to secure at least the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

officially indicating that this is the team’s ninth straight postseason appearance.

With Boston having the longest ongoing postseason streak at ten, this is the second-longest in the league. The 12-year run from 1979 to 1991 is the longest streak in team history, with this one coming in second.

With four games remaining, Milwaukee holds the second seed in the Eastern Conference; nevertheless, head coach Doc Rivers of the Bucks stated prior to the game that he has not been keeping an eye on the standings.

He remarked, “I know we have to win games.” “When we win games, everything falls into place. We are not trying not to, I promise. So that’s my perspective on it always. Like, let’s just win games and let things finish wherever they may. The East is likely to have difficulty. Clearly. It is going to be difficult in the first round. Phase two. The East, that is, both conferences. We are not attempting to determine pairings, as it is an impractical endeavor. Thus, our current goal is simply to win. Above all, though, our goals are to win, stay healthy, and have excellent rhythm. We will be overjoyed if we can complete all three.

The Bucks have dropped six of seven games and lost four in a row, but Milwaukee had maintained their hold on the second seed the entire East was going through at the same time.

Despite having dropped four out of five, New York’s victory (46–32) kept them within hearing distance of Milwaukee. Orlando defeated Chicago 46–32 to be within shouting distance.

Cleveland lost to the Los Angeles Clippers 46-33 on Sunday after blowing a 21-point halftime lead. Now, the Cavs have dropped five of seven games and three of the last four.

On Wednesday, the Bucks and Magic will play their regular season finale at Fiserv Forum. On April 14, they both had a Florida matinee to round off their regular season.

Broadly speaking, the Bucks had dropped two of the five games when Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, and Khris Middleton were in the lineup. Additionally, Lillard had to miss time for stitches in his lower lip after pulling his right groin in the fourth quarter of the second of those games, a loss in New Orleans on March 28.

After Antetokounmpo was ruled out due to left hamstring tightness on April 5, Rivers stated, “I would say if we were all healthy and dropping games and playing, the urgency talk would be a lot higher because that would mean we’re not playing well with all our guys.” In this instance, I believe you really desire the second seed, but you also have the option of having Giannis play (against the Raptors)? Indeed. However, you must make a decision. We can prioritize health over seeding, I suppose. That’s how we would approach it.”

If the Bucks win the second seed, they won’t find out who they’ll face in the first round until the play-in tournament is over.

“I believe that if we follow our responsibilities, we should be together,” Lillard remarked. But regardless of the opponent you face. It will be difficult to get out. Every squad that we may be paired with and encounter along the way is going to be difficult. Therefore, all that remains is for us to spend as much time as possible at home and to be the best versions of ourselves while doing so. More than anything, I believe it to be the main problem.

Due to injury, Khris Middleton leaves the game.
Donte DiVincenzo fouled out on a putback attempt in the second quarter, which resulted in a blow to the Bucks star’s face. Later, as Middleton lay on the ground, Knicks big Isaiah Hartenstein fouled out on him once again. Middleton headed straight to the locker room, where the team said he was ruled out due to oral trauma.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, and Khristian Middleton played in 41 games together on Sunday, but it was just the eighth under head coach Doc Rivers.

During Rivers’ first three games in office, which took place from January 29 to February 3, then again from March 24 to 28, the trio played three games in a row.

It’s interesting to note that the Bucks lost all four of those games by a combined score of 20 points.

More: Khris Middleton of the Milwaukee Bucks leaves the game against the Knicks due to a mouth injury

Despite having a hamstring issue, Giannis Antetokounmpo plays.

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Due to left hamstring tendinopathy, which causes pain and/or swelling in the area where the muscle and bone meet, the Bucks star was doubtful to participate before the start of the game. Due to the injury, he was unable to play in the Bucks’ most recent game and was visibly limited during their April 5 loss to Memphis.

Before the game against the Knicks, Antetokounmpo warmed up. With 28 points, 15 rebounds, and 8 assists, he led the squad.

The last week of the regular season begins on Sunday for Milwaukee, who will play back-to-back games on Tuesday and Wednesday against Boston and Orlando.

In all, Antetokounmpo has missed three games due to the hamstring issue, which he claimed he initially experienced in Los Angeles on March 10.

“He was just healthy,” Rivers remarked of Antetokounmpo’s performance against the Knicks. “He has missed games because he really—obviously—would have participated in the playoffs. However, he would not have participated in those games at any stage during the regular season. He was simply not prepared to play. Thus, you know, we’re taking that very seriously. Although we won’t be limiting his minutes, we will be keeping an eye on him tonight and throughout the remainder of the season. Until the playoffs, we most likely won’t play him his regular minutes.”

Nevertheless, Antetokounmpo was 10 of 20 from the field and 8 of 11 from the free throw line in his 39 minutes of action against the Knicks.

On April 3, against Memphis, Antetokounmpo repeatedly pulled at his left leg, clearly uncomfortable. He was 10-for-23 from the floor in thirty-two minutes, and Rivers said he considered removing the star.

However, Rivers declared prior to the Knicks game that he would not be the one to remove the star from the contest.

Rivers declared, “I still don’t make the call—I just won’t.” “I was mistaken about that. I turn to our science team and the trainer, and they inform us. It’s just safer, in my opinion. Since nobody will ever get hurt, coaches shouldn’t be assessing health.

Five digits

Bucks’ season record against the Knicks is 3-2. The teams played five other teams because of their pairing in the In-Season Tournament. Milwaukee also played five games against Indiana.

8–11 three-point shooting clip by New York guard Donte DiVincenzo, a Bucks player from 2018–22. Although DiVincenzo was not regarded as a shooter during his time in Milwaukee, he has since developed into a proficient shooter. With a few minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, he made it 117-103, ending any chance of a Bucks comeback. DiVincenzo scored 26 points in the end.

Malik Beasley’s three-point percentage (21 of 62) during the Bucks’ run of six consecutive losses in a row was 33.8%. Although the shooting guard has led the NBA in three-point shooting the whole season, he hasn’t had many opportunities lately, which is understandable given the Bucks’ recent struggles on the offensive end.

Beasley picked up five fouls on Sunday while defending Brunson, which hampered him.

After xx offensive rebounds (xx points) and 14 Bucks turnovers (16 points), the Knicks scored 35 more points.

218 and 215 This season, Damian Lillard and Malik Beasley have each made three-pointers. The two are trying to surpass Ray Allen’s franchise record of 229 from 2001–02.

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