MILWAUKEE (AP) — Jalen Brunson delivered a spectacular performance, scoring 43 points to lead the New York Knicks to a 122-109 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday. This win handed the Bucks their fourth consecutive loss and marked Brunson’s ninth 40-point game of the season, placing him third on the Knicks’ single-season list for such performances.
Knicks vs Milwaukee Bucks Match Player Stats Overview
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final | |||
| NYK | 25 | 25 | 39 | 33 | 122 | |||
| MIL | 31 | 30 | 24 | 24 | 109 | |||
| Team | PITP | FB PTS | BIG LD | BPTS | TREB | TOV | TTOV | POT |
| NYK | 44 | 9 | 16 | 24 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 16 |
| MIL | 34 | 12 | 11 | 31 | 8 | 14 | 0 | 8 |
| Lead Changes | 5 | |||||||
| Times Tied | 3 |
Brunson’s Dominance Against the Bucks
Brunson’s prolific scoring against the Bucks has been a constant throughout the season. Averaging 37.2 points in five games against Milwaukee, he once again proved to be a thorn in their side. “I don’t know,” Brunson said when asked about his success against the Bucks. “The ball goes through the hoop against them. I’m averaging 37, but we’re 2-3 (against the Bucks). Before tonight, we were 1-3. So no matter what the points was, we weren’t getting wins. Obviously tonight we found a way to win the game.”
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Bucks’ Struggles Continue
The Bucks are in the midst of their longest losing streak of the season, having dropped six of their last seven games. They now hold a precarious one-game lead over the Knicks and the Orlando Magic in the race for the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 playoff seed behind the Boston Celtics. Giannis Antetokounmpo, who returned to action after missing the previous game with a hamstring issue, led the Bucks with 28 points, 15 rebounds, and eight assists. “We’re not a losing team,” Antetokounmpo said. “We don’t have that mentality. That’s not in us. … This is not what we do. We’ve got to be better.”
Injury Woes for Milwaukee
Compounding the Bucks’ troubles was the injury to Khris Middleton. Midway through the second quarter, Middleton was inadvertently hit in the face by New York’s Donte DiVincenzo and subsequently fell to the floor. As he lay on his stomach, Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein accidentally landed on his back, leading to Middleton’s exit from the game with a knocked-out tooth. Bucks coach Doc Rivers expressed his sympathy for Middleton, saying, “You just feel bad for him. The guy can’t catch a break.”
Knicks’ Balanced Attack
Brunson’s 43 points were complemented by solid performances from his teammates. Donte DiVincenzo scored 26 points, Isaiah Hartenstein contributed 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Josh Hart added a near triple-double with seven points, nine rebounds, and nine assists. This balanced effort helped the Knicks rally from an 11-point halftime deficit, outscoring the Bucks 20-6 in the first six minutes of the third quarter to seize control of the game.
Key Moments in the Game
The turning point came early in the third quarter when DiVincenzo hit two free throws to give the Knicks their first lead since the opening minutes. The Knicks maintained their momentum and never trailed again. Despite a valiant effort from the Bucks, including 24 points from Bobby Portis and 23 from Damian Lillard, the Knicks’ second-half surge proved insurmountable.
Brunson’s Historic Season
Brunson’s performance not only secured a crucial win for the Knicks but also etched his name further into the franchise’s history books. His ninth 40-point game of the season places him behind only Bernard King, who holds the Knicks’ single-season record with 13 such games in 1984-85.
Looking Ahead
The victory propels the Knicks as they prepare to face the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday, while the Bucks will look to halt their losing streak when they host the Boston Celtics. Bucks coach Doc Rivers remains optimistic, stating, “This team is too talented, in my opinion, to go through this. No matter who’s been in and out, every team has guys out. And so I’ve got to figure that out.”
New York Knicks Match Player Stats and Box Score
| PLAYER | MIN | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3:00 PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | PTS | +/- |
| Josh HartF | 37:24:00 | 2 | 9 | 22.2 | 1 | 2 | 50 | 2 | 2 | 100 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 8 |
| OG AnunobyF | 37:47:00 | 2 | 10 | 20 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 7 |
| Isaiah HartensteinC | 28:51:00 | 8 | 9 | 88.9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 66.7 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 18 | 7 |
| Donte DiVincenzoG | 37:27:00 | 8 | 14 | 57.1 | 8 | 11 | 72.7 | 2 | 2 | 100 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 26 | 15 |
| Jalen BrunsonG | 39:26:00 | 16 | 32 | 50 | 2 | 6 | 33.3 | 9 | 11 | 81.8 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 43 | 11 |
| Miles McBride | 18:00 | 3 | 6 | 50 | 2 | 4 | 50 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 1 |
| Mitchell Robinson | 19:09 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 50 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 6 |
| Precious Achiuwa | 4:57 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| Bojan Bogdanovic | 16:59 | 6 | 9 | 66.7 | 1 | 1 | 100 | 2 | 2 | 100 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 5 |
| Alec Burks | DNP – Coach’s Decision | |||||||||||||||||||
| Mamadi Diakite | DNP – Coach’s Decision | |||||||||||||||||||
| DaQuan Jeffries | DNP – Coach’s Decision | |||||||||||||||||||
| Shake Milton | DNP – Coach’s Decision | |||||||||||||||||||
| Jericho Sims | DNP – Coach’s Decision | |||||||||||||||||||
| Jacob Toppin | DNP – Coach’s Decision | |||||||||||||||||||
| TOTALS | 45 | 92 | 48.9 | 14 | 29 | 48.3 | 18 | 22 | 81.8 | 13 | 28 | 41 | 25 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 22 | 122 | 13 | |
Milwaukee Bucks Match Player Stats and Box Score
| PLAYER | MIN | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3:00 PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | PTS | +/- |
| Khris MiddletonF | 13:01 | 2 | 4 | 50 | 1 | 1 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 4 |
| Giannis AntetokounmpoF | 38:32:00 | 10 | 20 | 50 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 11 | 72.7 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 28 | -5 |
| Brook LopezC | 28:46:00 | 4 | 8 | 50 | 2 | 6 | 33.3 | 3 | 4 | 75 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 13 | -9 |
| Malik BeasleyG | 23:03 | 3 | 6 | 50 | 3 | 6 | 50 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 9 | -10 |
| Damian LillardG | 38:42:00 | 4 | 11 | 36.4 | 1 | 7 | 14.3 | 14 | 15 | 93.3 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 23 | -8 |
| Pat Connaughton | 31:03:00 | 1 | 5 | 20 | 1 | 4 | 25 | 2 | 2 | 100 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | -11 |
| Bobby Portis | 29:15:00 | 10 | 15 | 66.7 | 4 | 6 | 66.7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | -11 |
| Jae Crowder | 15:18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| AJ Green | 13:28 | 1 | 3 | 33.3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Andre Jackson Jr. | 4:12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -5 |
| Thanasis Antetokounmpo | 1:10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -3 |
| Ryan Rollins | 1:10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -3 |
| TyTy Washington Jr. | 1:10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -3 |
| Chris Livingston | 1:10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -3 |
| Danilo Gallinari | DNP – Coach’s Decision | |||||||||||||||||||
| TOTALS | 35 | 75 | 46.7 | 12 | 34 | 35.3 | 27 | 32 | 84.4 | 9 | 29 | 38 | 27 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 16 | 109 | -13 | |
Conclusion
Jalen Brunson’s exceptional 43-point performance against the Milwaukee Bucks underscores his dominance this season and highlights the New York Knicks’ resilience as they overcame a halftime deficit to secure a vital win. With the Bucks facing their longest losing streak of the season and key injuries to contend with, both teams will be looking to adjust and improve in their upcoming games.
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