The Milwaukee Bucks have now faced the New York Knicks twice this season. In those games, the star-studded Knicks outscored the Bucks by a combined 66 points. It was yet another blowout orchestrated by Jalen Brunson, a man who suffered in their first matchup. The captain of the Knicks went into a flow state tonight as even though he suffered an apparent ailment, Brunson couldn’t stop putting the ball in the hoop.

Within the first 12 minutes, the former Mavericks guard poured in 23 points. The sizzle didn’t end when halftime came around. And in his limited time in the fourth quarter, Jalen Brunson added further punishment, tallying 44 points. As the head coach, Brunson gave Doc Rivers the most problems. However, what faltered was the team as a defensive unit.

“We’re not guarding them well. We haven’t done well with them in two games. Haven’t guarded Towns well. They shot 58% so it wasn’t just Jaylen. Whole team shot 44% from three. We have been terrific defensively. We were awful tonight,” Rivers said in his press conference.

Before playing the Knicks tonight, the Bucks boasted the fifth-best defensive rating in January. The stride was much needed to regain their footing in what was an uncharacteristic start to the season. Unfortunately, in the last few games, they have relapsed into those ways. And it’s beginning to hurt their coherent offense largely.

“It’s so funny we were shooting 53% in the first four minutes of the fourth and I thought offensively we were horrendous. And we were still shooting 53%. But when you’re taking the ball out for more than half the time the entire game, it’s going to be tough to run a great offense. And I thought eventually it caught up to us,” Rivers said about the 34-point loss to their conference rivals. Nevertheless, this performance casts the spotlight on the need of the hour once again.

The Milwaukee Bucks’ need for Jimmy Butler is highlighted once again

With nearly half the season done, the Wisconsin side has had several moments of realization. They went on a seven-game winning streak from mid-November, which included an undefeated NBA Cup campaign. There, their resolve and defense helped them overcome tough opponents.

But in a rocky start to the new year, several of those traits have been absent. Tonight, Giannis Antetokounmpo had another outburst after the game. “They came in, played way harder than us, better than us, and were able to get a win,” he said in a stinging message to his teammates. 

Tonight, the Bucks went back to the methods that cost them severely in the beginning portion of the season. Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard combined for 46 points in the landslide loss. The other seven players barring Khris Middleton didn’t score in double digits. In addition, the tenacity allowed the Knicks to establish themselves.

The Big Apple took a 10-point advantage just from their post from turnovers. However, Milwaukee only recorded three fewer turnovers than their opponents. The lack of ferocity also extended to rebounding. Karl-Anthony Towns burst through for his second straight 30-point double-double against them, grabbing 18 rebounds in the process.

What’s clear though is that the Bucks need a change. The way they are playing currently is far from their best. With a championship being the benchmark, their brand and style of plays require dramatic alteration. Will a move for Butler materialize? We will have to wait and see. What did you make of the Bucks’ lackluster performance? Do you agree with Doc Rivers’ analysis? Let us know in the comments section below.