Knicks Look to Extend Win Streak Against Undefeated Bucks

The Knicks, winners of three straight, will hit the road to face the lone undefeated team left so far in the early portion of the season: the Bucks.

After a sweet, hard-fought overtime win over the Charlotte Hornets to top off a three-game winning streak and home stand, the New York Knicks (3-1) are heading out for their first multi-game road trip.

They’re headed to the midwest for a weekend trip which will provide a couple of solid tests, starting with the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night.

Milwaukee is riding in high at 3-0. After a close win over the Philadelphia 76ers to open the season, the Bucks followed up with back-to-back wins over the Houston Rockets and Brooklyn Nets.

Last season, Milwaukee defeated New York in three out of four meetings. Tip-off is scheduled for Friday at 8:00 p.m. ET.

First, let’s state the obvious, in case you missed it — somehow — New York has a point guard and albeit a four-game sample size, possibly its best in several decades. Aside from his scoring, efficiency and insane assist-to-turnover ratio to start, Brunson’s impact is also seen outside of the box score.

For example, his presence affects the way Julius Randle is starting to pick things up since he doesn’t have to feel like he needs to shoulder 90% of the workload or force things. It’ll be interesting to see how those two play against the unbeaten Bucks.

Cam Fam

Now, onto a not-as-obvious point, Cam Reddish is emerging as a valuable bench piece.

If you missed Wednesday’s overtime win over Charlotte and you just looked at the box score, you could easily scoff at his five-point, three-rebound outing through 25 minutes of play.

If you know, you know, and not only did Reddish seem to gel well, but more importantly, he was providing lockdown defense and got key stops that helped the Knicks pull off the win.

He had a solid 22-point game to start the season and hasn’t nearly done as much offensively since. But if he can provide that level of defense and sink a few baskets as a bonus, it seems like he can carve out a niche for himself.

Keep an eye on what Reddish can provide against a higher-caliber team like the Bucks. It’ll be all hands on deck in order to stop Giannis Antentokounmpo, Milwaukee’s secondary scoring threats and its perimeter shooting.

Dating back to the 2018-19 season, the Bucks have dominated the series, winning 10 of the last 14 meetings, including each of the last three.

Greek Freak, Obviously

Even with Khris Middleton out for the first few weeks of the regular season, the Bucks haven’t missed a step. A lot of the credit goes to the former two-time NBA MVP. Antentokounmpo is obviously the heart and soul of the franchise, but with Milwaukee’s right-hand man sidelined, he’s elevating his game even higher.

The Greek Freak is averaging 36.0 points, 13.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.0 blocks per game, while shooting 67.7%, through their 3-0 start. He’s also coming off of back-to-back 40-point double-double games.

Antetokounmpo has given the Knicks plenty to worry about and delivers every time they meet. He’s posted two triple-doubles and averaged 24.4 points, 11.0 rebounds and 7.6 assists per game over his last five games against New York.

Aside from Antentokounmpo, Jrue Holiday is just a high-motor guard that’s a pest for his opponents. He’ll try to disrupt Jalen Brunson and the Knicks, but is also a solid facilitator and playmaker for the Bucks. Former Knick Bobby Portis caught a second wind for his career with Milwaukee and will try to ride that out for another year.

Also, keep an eye on Grayson Allen. He’s been off to an ice-cold start, slumping to the tune of 9.3 points per game on 26.3% from long range and just 24.1% shooting overall.

However, don’t take him lightly. He’s bound to break the cold streak at some point, and he shot pretty well against the Knicks last season. In the 2021-22 season series, he averaged 16.0 points and shot 16-of-31 (51.6%) from deep.

Injury report

Middleton (wrist) and Pat Connaughton (calf) are missing the first few weeks of the regular season. Joe Ingles (knee) is expected to be out until January.

As for the Knicks, Quentin Grimes (foot) remains out.