Gary Trent Jr Probable
Kyle Kuzma Questionable
Kevin Porter Jr Out
Cole Anthony Questionable
Karl Anthony Towns Probable
Guerschon Yabusele Questionable
Miles McBride Questionable
Mitchell Robinson Out
The Knicks are on the road for this game, taking on the Bucks. With an early-season matchup between Giannis and the Knicks upcoming, it should be a solid game. Both teams currently hold a 2-1 record going into tonight's game. In these outings, we’ve seen a couple of trends. The first is that Giannis can truly do it all. He’s leading the Bucks in points, assists, and rebounds, while also being their best defender. There's little that can stop him, and he’s been relentless in asserting his will this season. The other trend continues to be Brunson's dominance. He’s been lethal this year, leading the Knicks in scoring. But those two players are just a part of the entire story that makes up these teams.
For the Bucks, this season was always going to be unusual. They parted ways with Lillard and Middleton last season. Now, they’re pairing Myles Turner with Giannis, which has been a solid fit so far. However, the Middleton-for-Kuzma swap has not been paying off. He’s only been playing limited minutes in rotation, and his on-court impact has been minimal. Turner has also struggled, mainly on offense. His shooting stats leave a lot to be desired, but defensively, he’s been an excellent partner for Giannis. Beyond the frontcourt, the backcourt is in poor shape. Already dealing with injuries, this group was assembled quickly. After signing Cole Anthony in free agency, they have Ryan Rollins, AJ Green, Gary Trent Jr., and Kevin Porter Jr. all getting minutes. Overall, this team is scrappy and awkward, but it’s been working. Giannis makes any team competitive, but the grit of this core has been a challenge for the team.
The Knicks, on the other hand, are picking up where they left off. Not much has changed with the rotation compared to last year, aside from a few injuries at the moment. Brunson is still leading the way with Towns in the post and OG anchoring the defense. It’s still one of the most dangerous starting lineups around, but the bench remains a concern. With Robinson out again, the backup post position is thin, and Ariel Hukporti has been playing significant minutes, which has been an issue. With Karl-Anthony Towns already on the injury report, that’s a major concern, especially when facing Giannis.
The matchup between these two will be tricky. Of course, the Knicks have the better roster, but Giannis is the best player in the game. He’s been dominating so far, but with OG likely on him, he’ll face the best defender he’s seen this year. If OG can slow Giannis down even 10%, I’m not sure the rest of the Bucks team can compensate for that. Still, I don’t think the Knicks, even with OG, can contain Giannis. It’s early in the season, he’s fresh, and at his peak. That’s why I’m choosing the Milwaukee moneyline, betting on the over of 229.5 points, and taking the Bucks spread at +2.5.
Money line: NYK (-142) / MIL (+120)
Total Points: 229.5
Spread: -2.5 NYK (-115) / +2.5 MIL (-105)
Bridges continues to be the extra piece on this team. With many other mouths to feed on offense, it always feels like Bridges gets the scraps. Averaging 10 attempts per game isn’t bad, and he’s shooting well so far, but this seems like a game where he’ll be prioritized on offense. With Milwaukee’s backcourt already dealing with some injuries, Brunson and Bridges could be big tonight from the perimeter. Considering Bridges has hit this line twice in three games, the over looks solid tonight.
Trent has been a big part of this Milwaukee backcourt so far. As one of the only returning guards, he’s built up more trust in Giannis and the team. He’s been seeing a fair number of shots, averaging 12 attempts per game, and he’s scoring 14 points per game. Even with the Knicks bringing in some solid defenders, Trent should see most of this action as a kick-out to the perimeter. As long as the shot is falling relatively well, 12 points should be well within his range tonight.
Giannis continues to do it all for this team. He’s leading the Bucks in points, assists, and rebounds. With the line set at 11.5, the over looks tempting again. They’re deploying Giannis almost in a free safety role on defense, allowing him to use his size and athleticism to influence the game more. This also makes it easier for him to grab rebounds, as evidenced this season. Expect another big night from him.
Brunson hasn’t been racking up as many assists as he did last year. He’s been under this total in two of their three games. I don’t expect Milwaukee to be any different for him. With such a weak defensive backcourt, Brunson will probably focus more on scoring than facilitating. Especially with Giannis lurking, Brunson will likely stay on the perimeter and try to get to the line to create his offense tonight.