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It’s been a long time and the Knicks have been stewing in the sewage water at the rumor mill since we last saw them play. Frank Ntilikina and Kevin Knox were characterized as journeyman who have no business in the league instead of being in the 99th percentile for youth in the NBA. The Knicks (7-16) have been beaten and bruised over their last ten games but they still notched three consecutive wins against some tough customers (Boston, New Orleans and Memphis). Now after a few days off and some time to regroup, here comes Milwaukee (15-6) and their minotaur, Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Guh. Luckily (?) the Knicks will be welcoming the oldest member of the team back to the rotation.
Courtney Lee and Mitchell Robinson are active and available to play tonight.
— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) December 1, 2018
Well, in their first meeting back in October, the Knicks fought valiantly but succumbed to the constant pressure of Giannis and a few sets of Khris Middleton eruptions. Nevertheless it felt like if they could keep pace and limit the little ruptures to keep the dam from blowing, maybe they have a shot. Hopefully their rest does not bring rust.
Projected Starters
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Still unclear why Hezonja has the starting job, but he’s got it.
I made an important Mario Hezonja gif #knicks pic.twitter.com/S3z2vxvRoQ
— Fastbreak Breakfast (@fastbreakbreak) November 29, 2018
I guess we can assume the Knicks will hold Ntilikina out of this game so they can preerve his health and then trade him, their 2019 first round pick and two second round picks to Toronto for Greg Monroe. Good times.
Key Matchup
Noah Vonleh probably gets the call and obviously Antetokounmpo is the biggest problem. Might not be able to solve it, but can Vonleh limit him one-on-one without fouling? The rest of the Knicks will be tasked with just ignoring that duel and cutting off everything else the Bucks get on the perimeter.
Check out Antetokounmpo against the similarly sized and highly regarded, Paul Millsap. Whew boy.
Prediction
Something tells me Enes Kanter will lose track of his matchup at a key moment. He’ll sink in to the middle looking for a rebound and the Bucks will pass out, swing, swing and get a crucial open three.
In that same vein, the Knicks are able to pay enough attention to Middleton but lose track of Brook Lopez who uncorks eight triples and blocks Kanter seven times. Three on one play.
Knicks by -9.