Playing at home for the first time in two weeks, the New York Knicks host the reeling Milwaukee Bucks on Friday in NBA Cup action.
The Knicks went 3-2 during their five-game road trip, finishing with double-digit wins over the Brooklyn Nets and Charlotte Hornets.
As New York settles in for a weekend at Madison Square Garden, the team wants to see its strong defensive efforts continue on Friday. The Knicks held Brooklyn and Charlotte to a combined 39.5% shooting clip across the pair of wins.
“It’s been two pretty good defensive efforts in a row on the road,” first-year New York head coach Mike Brown said. “Hats off to our group for a fantastic defensive effort (on Wednesday), especially on the road in a big game, and in a Cup game.”
With their 129-101 win in Charlotte, the Knicks improved to 2-1 in East Group C play, the same mark as Milwaukee.
Since missing two games with an ankle injury, Jalen Brunson is averaging 30.3 points in New York’s last four games, including a 33-point output on Wednesday.
As important as Brunson (28.6 point per game) and Karl-Anthony Towns (22.4 ppg) have been to the Knicks’ early-season success, the play of Josh Hart has been vital.
“He makes things easy for everybody,” Brown said of Hart. “We’ve got a new coach, a new system, and you look back at those first three losses on the road, Josh was sitting next to me in the fourth quarter. I’ll be the first to say, that wasn’t the right thing to do, because he does so many great things for us.”
Hart is averaging 10.4 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game in 16 contests (14 in a reserve role).
Milwaukee is looking to avoid posting its longest losing streak since March 2014.
The Bucks have dropped six straight, including the last four without star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who’s dealing with a groin injury. Antetokounmpo has missed six of the team’s first 19 games and is questionable to make his return on Friday.
Paired with the absence of Kevin Porter Jr., who is nearing a return to the court for the first time since tearing the meniscus in his right knee on opening night, the Bucks are trying to find ways to win without two scoring threats.
“In the last three or four games, I thought we had amazing fight defensively and that gave us a chance offensively,” Milwaukee head coach Doc Rivers said. “When you have Porter and Giannis out, that’s a lot of offense off the floor.”
One piece Rivers would like to get going is Cole Anthony, who’s shooting just 41.3% from the field and 25.5% on 3-pointers.
“He’s struggling right now and we have to do something to help him,” Rivers said. “He’s turning the ball over and taking some really tough shots. We’ve just got to keep coaching. The kid can play. We’ve got to keep believing in him.”
