February 24, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) drives toward the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden (1) during the first quarter at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images With both teams fighting for different positions in the Eastern Conference standings, the visiting New York Knicks take on the suddenly hot Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night.
New York completed a three-game Central Division road trip after coming away with a six-point win over the Chicago Bulls and a 15-point deficit against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday. The Knicks are in second place in the East, 1 1/2 games behind the Boston Celtics and a half-game ahead of fourth-place Cleveland.
In coach Mike Brown’s first season, the Knicks put aside the tough mentality they had under Tom Thibodeau. New York’s 117.1 points per game is the franchise’s most since 117.3 points in 1959-60.
However, Brown’s team is having one of the worst offensive performances. The Knicks scored just 94 points against Cleveland, including 11 in the third quarter, and Brown attributed that result to tempo.
“One of the things we have to do better is pace ourselves, especially offensively,” Brown said. “Our speed is not good. We’ve got to do a better job of getting to the corners. We’ve got to do a better job of playing with speed in the frontcourt…. It was a tough loss overall and an ugly game (Tuesday). We’ve got to go back and figure out what we need to do to get a win on Friday.”
New York’s leading scorer, Jalen Brunson (26.7 points per game), has a loss percentage of just 31.6% (6 of 19).
Fellow All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns added 20.0 points and 11.7 rebounds per game, while OG Anunoby scored 16.0 points.
The Knicks can close out their three-game series of the season with Milwaukee following a 10-point loss to the Bucks in October and a 9-point win in November.
In early February, Milwaukee’s chances of extending its postseason streak to 10 years seemed slim. The Bucks, without injured superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, were 18-29 on Feb. 1.
Milwaukee has since won eight of 10 games, including back-to-back wins over the Miami Heat and Cleveland this week, and remains one game behind the Charlotte Hornets in the final play-in slot.
“When you lose in a row and the game gets tight, you start thinking about losing. It’s human nature,” coach Doc Rivers said. “But with this group, eight out of 10 is phenomenal. Without Giannis, we do that all day long.”
Antetokounmpo hasn’t played since Jan. 23 with a left calf injury, but according to Rivers, the two-time MVP could be close to returning.
Meanwhile, Milwaukee has relied on a group effort to replace their averages of 28.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. Seven Bucks scored in double figures in a 118-116 win over Cleveland on Wednesday.
“That’s the way we have to play. We’ve got to keep playing that way,” Rivers said. “If you look at the way we’ve played the last 10 games, it’s clear when we stop doing that. It’s noticeable.”
Kevin Porter Jr. averaged 18.2 points and a team-high 7.6 assists, while Ryan Rollins had the year with 17.2 points and 5.4 assists.
–Field level media
