On April 8, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continued, and the Bucks hosted the Knicks in a battle of Eastern focus.
The opening quarter was intense, with the Bucks coming on a 5-6 run to stop the Knicks on a 10-4, 16-9 run led by Lillard and Antetokounmpo. After a timeout, the Bucks scored back-to-back points to lead 23-14 and lead by nine points at one point, but the Knicks, led by Brunson, went on an 11-2 run to make it 25-25. After a timeout, the Bucks went on a 6-0 run and ended the first quarter with a 31-25 lead.
In the second quarter, Antetokounmpo led the team to a big game, scoring 13 consecutive points from direct scoring or assists from Antetokounmpo, and Middleton was injured after the Bucks led 48-40 and the game was suspended. After that, the two teams continued to tug of war between the two teams at 5-8, and Brunson led the team to 50-53 at one point, but the Bucks ended the first half with an 8-0 run at the end of the quarter, and the Bucks led 61-50 at halftime.
Halftime stats, Bucks 18 points and 7 rebounds, Lillard 14 points, Big Lopez 9 points, Portis 8 points, Nix Brunson 23 points, Bogdanovic 8 points.
In the third quarter, the Knicks suddenly started the game, playing a 20-6 score in the first half of the game, 70-67 to overtake the score, and the Bucks continued to pause and did not suppress Brunson's individual offense. The Bucks relied mainly on Portis to score at the end of the quarter, and at one point scored 10 consecutive points for the whole team, and after Brunson threw and scored, the Bucks missed the shot, and the third quarter ended with the Knicks leading 89-85.
In the fourth quarter, the Knicks opened the game with an 8-2 run and a 97-87 lead, and the Bucks were forced to take an early timeout. After Antetokounmpo and Lillard returned to the court, the Bucks' scoring momentum rebounded, but the defense still struggled to prevent the Knicks from scoring, and the Bucks chased 98-104 after Portis hit a three-pointer, and the Knicks called a timeout. After the timeout, the Knicks stretched the difference to double digits, Da Luo hit a three-pointer to chase the score back to 8 points, but DiVincenzo immediately pressed the whistle and returned a three-pointer, and then DiVincenzo hit another three-pointer, and the difference stretched to 14 points, the Bucks came back and was stolen by Brunson and hit a layup, the Bucks hit two three-pointers in a row, and DiVincenzo hit another three-pointer to kill the game. In the end, the Knicks defeated the Bucks 122-109.
Statistics
Bucks: Middleton 5 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists, Antetokounmpo 28 points, 15 rebounds and 8 assists, Da Luo 13 points and 5 boards, Beasley 9 points and 3 assists, Lillard 23 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists, Connaughton 5 points and 2 assists, Portis 24 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists
Knicks: Hart 7 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists, Anunoby 4 points, 3 rebounds, 4 steals and 2 blocks, Harten 18 points and 10 boards, DiVincenzo 26 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists, Brunson 43 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists, McBride 8 points, 2 rebounds and 3 steals, Bogda 15 points Knicks: