When the New York Knicks advanced out of the group stage of the NBA In-Season Tournament, it was supposed to be a reward for a nice run in the first part of the league’s newest venture.
Instead, it almost seemed like a punishment for the Knicks.
They had to play Milwaukee, a team they were struggling just to compete against.
At the time, the Bucks had beaten New York seven straight and that added tournament game meant an added meeting between the two during the season. A four-game season series turned into a five and that didn’t look like a reward for some Knicks fans.
Knicks losing streak to Milwaukee dates to 2021
The Christmas Day matchup was already scheduled, set to be a marquee matchup between one of the NBA’s longtime franchises against one of the up-and-coming powers of this era.
That long streak was the only downside.
But behind Jalen Brunson’s 38 points, the Knicks snapped the nine-game losing streak with a 129-122 win. New York is 5.5 games behind Milwaukee and Boston in the Eastern Conference.
Here are the Knicks’ results against the Bucks in their last 10 games.
| Dec. 25, 2023 | at New York | W, 129-122 |
| Dec 23, 2023 | at New York | L, 130-111 |
| Dec 5, 2023 | at Milwaukee | L, 146-122 |
| Nov 03, 2023 | at Milwaukee | L, 110-105 |
| Jan 9, 2023 | at New York | L, 111-107 |
| Nov 30, 2022 | at New York | L, 109-103 |
| Oct 28, 2022 | at Milwaukee | L, 119-108 |
| Jan 28, 2022 | at Milwaukee | L, 123-108 |
| Dec 12, 2021 | at New York | L, 112-97 |
| Nov 10, 2021 | at New York | L, 112-100 |
The Knicks have played in 59 Christmas Day games and with the win against Milwaukee is 24-32 all-time . The Bucks are 5-5.