National Basketball Association
New York 102, Milwaukee 96
When: 8:00 PM ET, Saturday, March 27, 2021
Where: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Officials: #31 Scott Wall, #81 Simone Jelks, #14 Ed Malloy
Attendance: 3280

Alec Burks scored seven of his 21 points in the fourth quarter and hit the tiebreaking 3-pointer with 1:19 left as the visiting New York Knicks held off the severely shorthanded Milwaukee Bucks 102-96 Saturday night.

Burks posted his fifth straight 20-point game and set a career high with six 3-pointers. His biggest 3-pointer came after the Bucks erased an 11-point deficit and forged a 96-96 tie on a dunk by Brook Lopez with 95 seconds left.

After a timeout, rookie Immanuel Quickley connected with Burks. Burks moved to the right side opposite Milwaukee's bench, and before the Bucks could rotate over, he hit a clean 3-pointer for a 99-96 lead.

After the teams traded turnovers, RJ Barrett missed a 3-pointer with 20.8 seconds left and Milwaukee's Bryn Forbes missed a 3-pointer with 8.1 seconds left that would have tied the game.

The Knicks grabbed the rebound and after an unsuccessful challenge of a foul call to Lopez, Burks hit the technical free throw for a 100-96 lead with eight seconds left.

Milwaukee lost its second straight following an eight-game winning streak as starters Giannis Antetokounmpo (sprained left knee), Donte DiVincenzo (left foot), Jrue Holiday (left knee contusion) and Khris Middleton (left hip contusion) sat out.

Milwaukee also was without key reserves P.J. Tucker (left calf strain) and Bobby Portis (health and safety protocols).

The Knicks won their third straight game and did it without leading scorer Julius Randle (right thigh contusion) and also lost Mitchell Robinson to a fractured right foot midway through the first quarter.

Barrett also scored 21 points for the Knicks, who shot 43 percent, hit 16 3-pointers and had a season-high 28 assists while struggling with Milwaukee's zone at times. Quickley added 13, as did Derrick Rose, who returned after missing 10 games due to COVID-19.

Thanasis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee with a career-high 23 points, while rookie Jordan Nwora added a season-best 21 in his first start.

New York scored nine straight points to take a 79-73 lead on a dunk by Noel with 1:38 left in the third, and they still led 81-77 going into the fourth quarter.

The Knicks opened the fourth with a 9-2 spurt and took a 90-79 lead on a 3-pointer by Quickley with 9:25, left but Milwaukee stormed back.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
New York   Milwaukee
RJ Barrett 21 Scoring Thanasis Antetokounmpo 23
RJ Barrett 7 Assists Thanasis Antetokounmpo 5
Nerlens Noel 11 Rebounds Thanasis Antetokounmpo 10
RJ Barrett 2 Free Throws Made Thanasis Antetokounmpo 3
Nerlens Noel 2 Steals Brook Lopez 4
Taj Gibson 4 Blocks Mamadi Diakite 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
New York 102 43.0 16-44 6-8 28 44 11 9 16
Milwaukee 96 41.4 14-36 10-16 21 48 7 11 16
Upcoming Games
  • Milwaukee will play their next game on the road against L.A. Clippers. The Bucks have a W/L % of .724 after a win and .500 after a loss.
  • New York will play their next game at home against Miami. The Knicks have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .545 after a loss.