NEW YORK (Eagle News) – The New York Knicks’ woes continue as the Milwaukee Bucks rallied from a 16-point deficit to defeat the Knicks 105-104 on a buzzer beating jumper by Giannis Antetokounmpo on Wednesday night.
During the first half, the game was neck-to-neck. The Madison Square Garden crowd was excited as the hometown team, the New York Knicks, looked to snap their 5-game losing streak by pulling away with the lead in the 4th quarter by 14 points. Then all of a sudden, the lead started to slip away.
Trailing throughout the second half, the Bucks outscored the Knicks in the fourth quarter behind Antetokounmpo’s 27 points and 13 rebounds. With the Knicks up by one, Antetokounmpo, known as the “Greek Freak”, took over the game making defensive stops and made the decisive buzzer-beater shot when he was inbounded the ball with 8 seconds remaining on the clock. He was able to get a separation and was able to shoot over his defender.’
Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks shook his head after the buzzer-beater in disbelief. “It’s a tough pill to swallow,” said Anthony in the locker room, “I think we gave this one away.”
Carmelo Anthony led the way for the Knicks with 30 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists. The Knicks lost their sixth straight game and are playing without Kristaps Porzingis who is out with a sore left Achilles tendon for the third straight game.
First ever Filipino Heritage Night celebrated at the Madison Square Garden.
Prior to the game, the first Filipino Heritage Night was held at Madison Square Garden, opening with a five-on-five match amongst Filipino-American players from the Tri-State Area (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut). The inaugural event was coordinated by the FilAm Sports New Jersey, a nonprofit organization that promotes health awareness through physical activities amongst Filipino-American youth athletes.
The New York Knicks will have a chance to redeem themselves after this tough loss when they face off again on Friday night, January 6, in Milwaukee.
By Carlo Valdez & Tennie Sumague, Eagle News Service New York, US Bureau