The Milwaukee Bucks had plenty of offensive issues in Sunday’s 130-110 loss to the New York Knicks, but the real problem consistently has to do with their lack of defense.
New York led by as many as 28 points in the fourth quarter, despite suiting up just 12 players because of injuries. The Knicks still managed to shoot 58.6% from the field (41 for 70) and a whopping 62.5% from three-point range (15 for 24) and won for the first time this season.
New York point guard Elfrid Payton entered the game shooting 23% from the field but finished with 27 points on 12 of 16 shooting. Julius Randle had 29 points to lead the Knicks.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 27 points and 13 rebounds and Khris Middleton added 22 points, but the Bucks hit just 7 of 38 (18.4%) from three-point distance and fell to 1-2.
As cold as they were offensively, the Bucks continue to have real issues with their defense, giving their opponents too many wide open looks.
The Bucks have back-to-back road games against Eastern Conference Champion Miami on Tuesday and Wednesday.