Josh Hart, Jalen Brunson push Knicks past Bucks in Giannis Antetokounmpo’s return

The Knicks won Friday’s NBA Cup game against the Bucks, 118-109, for their third straight victory while they extended Giannis Antetokounmpo-led Milwaukee’s seven-game skid.

Takeaways

1. For the third straight game, the Knicks started Jalen Brunson, Miles McBride, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns. Mike Brown‘s move paid off particularly with Hart, who gave the Knicks (12-6) a first-half boost by scoring 13 points on 4-of-9 shooting while adding six rebounds and two assists. Hart finished with a 19-point, 15-rebound double-double, plus seven assists, and continues to trend up after totaling 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting, eight rebounds and seven assists in Wednesday’s 129-101 win at the Charlotte Hornets.

2. Another notable contributor in the lineup was McBride, who gave the Knicks a pop with 19 points on 5-of-7 shooting from deep to complement Brunson’s backcourt scoring. Among McBride’s big shots was his triple with 2:53 left, an immediate and needed response after Kyle Kuzma‘s trey moments earlier cut the Knicks’ lead to 107-105 at the 3:16 mark.

3. Speaking of Brunson, the Knicks’ catalyst offered a balanced game by dropping 15 first-half points while the Bucks (8-12) clung to a 62-61 halftime edge. Brunson especially came alive in the third quarter, scoring 16 of his game-high 37 points (12-for-21 shooting) during a 31-26 period where the Knicks outscored the Bucks. Before the Bucks closed the gap with the Knicks in the fourth quarter’s tightly contested final six minutes, New York’s largest lead of 101-88 at the 10:40 mark, fueled by Brunson’s third-quarter heat check.

4. The Knicks advance to the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup after winning East Group C. In beating the Bucks, who won last year’s NBA Cup, there will be a new winner this season. Also of note, Milwaukee’s seventh straight loss is its longest skid since the 2013-14 campaign when it suffered multiple lengthy skids and went 15-67.

Who’s the MVP?

Antetokounmpo, who was questionable with an abductor strain but willed the Bucks with 30 points on 10-of-14 shooting while adding 15 rebounds and eight assists in 28 minutes of what was his first game since Nov. 17.

Highlights

What’s next

The Knicks host the Toronto Raptors Sunday at 6 p.m. The Raptors (14-5) enter Saturday’s 6 p.m. game at the Charlotte Hornets with nine straight wins.