Milwaukee are headed to Las Vegas as they’ve reached the In-Season Tournament semifinals after beating New York 146 to 122 on Tuesday night. The Bucks were led by Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s 35 points and 10 assists, plus Damian Lillard‘s 28 points.
The Wisconsin franchise had much to celebrate after the contest, as they not only extended their home-winning streak to nine games, but also posted a season high in scoring, as they shot 60.5% (23 of 38) from beyond the arc, and 60.4% overall.
“Tonight was a huge step. We wanted to get to Vegas but when we get to Vegas we’ve got to take care of business. We’ve got two games to win there,” said coach Adrian Griffin. “I thought tonight our team was the better team. Our bench was terrific and I thought the crowd was terrific. It had all the makings of a playoff game.”
Giannis and the Bucks handled business vs. the Knicks 😤 pic.twitter.com/j6rNdz6Nci
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) December 6, 2023
Now Griffin predicts a strong challenge against the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night. “We expect their best, but when we are at our best, I love our chances,” he said.
Lillard acknowledged they are headed to Las Vegas for the sole purpose of bringing home the first-ever In-Season Tournament title and set a tone for the rest of the campaign. “You come out of this thing on top, I think it’s a pretty strong statement and something that everybody around the league has to respect,” he expressed.
Damian believes the Bucks, who are 5-0 in this competition and 15-6 overall this season, should’ve scored even more points this Tuesday.
“We missed free throws. We missed some shots in the paint. It could have easily been a 165-point game,” he explained. “That doesn’t mean that we can turn into a team that does that every night, but I do think that we have that type of explosiveness.”
On the other hand, Julius Randle posted his season-high 41 points for the Knicks, who lost their first game in four matches. Jalen Brunson, who dropped 24 last night, recognized they lacked pressure in defense.
“Defensively, we didn’t really do anything all game. That’s the story. That’s it,” Jalen shared. “They hit a lot of shots. They got comfortable. It’s on us to make them uncomfortable.”
Shaquille O’Neal explains why the Bucks are his favorites to conquer this season’s NBA Championship
Shaquille O’Neal recently labelled Milwaukee as his favorites to win the 2023/24 NBA title during this Tuesday night’s TNT pregame show. The Bucks are currently searching for their second championship in the last four campaigns.
“This team right here is my favorite to win the championship,” the Hall of Famer said. “This team is built for championships, you have a great big-man, you have a great closer—a guy who is a great free-throw shooter—and you have two others who can give you a high point games in Middleton and Lopez.”
The NBA analyst recommends that the Wisconsin franchise should start “sending messages” by conquering the league’s NBA In-Season Tournament.
“They should start sending the messages now,” O’Neal claimed. “If you can win the in-season tournament and then the Larry O’Brien that just shows everyone that you have really been focused all season. … They have the perfect championship team.”
