Battle of Titans: Can New York Upset Milwaukee’s Dominance in Crucial Conference Showdown?

It’s Friday night in Milwaukee, and the spotlight’s shining on a clash that’s got all the makings of a gritty showdown — the New York Knicks, sitting pretty at third in the Eastern Conference with a solid 37-22 record, are heading to face off against the Milwaukee Bucks, limping in at 26-31, 11th place in the same conference. Karl-Anthony Towns is pacing the Knicks with poise and power, matching up against the Bucks’ energetic Ryan Rollins, who’s been lighting it up lately. Both teams have their stories — the Bucks balancing a 19-19 conference split while scraping through tough, double-digit losses, and the Knicks cruising with a 25-15 record in their own Eastern battles. They’re not strangers either; this’ll be their third dance this season, with the Knicks snagging a recent win thanks to Jalen Brunson’s 37-point masterstroke. With injuries hovering over key players and stats that paint an intriguing picture of offense and defense, this one’s shaping up to be a fascinating chapter in the NBA saga. Ready to dive deeper? LEARN MORE.

New York Knicks (37-22, third in the Eastern Conference) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (26-31, 11th in the Eastern Conference)

Milwaukee; Friday, 8 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Karl-Anthony Towns and the New York Knicks take on Ryan Rollins and the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday.

The Bucks are 19-19 in conference games. Milwaukee is 14-18 in games decided by 10 points or more.

The Knicks have gone 25-15 against Eastern Conference opponents. New York scores 117.1 points and has outscored opponents by 5.4 points per game.

The Bucks’ 14.7 made 3-pointers per game this season are just 0.9 more made shots on average than the 13.8 per game the Knicks give up. The Knicks average 117.1 points per game, 1.7 more than the 115.4 the Bucks give up.

The teams square off for the third time this season. The Knicks won the last matchup 118-109 on Nov. 29, with Jalen Brunson scoring 37 points in the victory.

TOP PERFORMERS: Rollins is averaging 17.2 points, 5.4 assists and 1.5 steals for the Bucks. AJ Green is averaging 3.4 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

Towns is averaging 20 points and 11.7 rebounds for the Knicks. Brunson is averaging 24.6 points and 6.4 assists over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Bucks: 8-2, averaging 118.1 points, 44.0 rebounds, 25.8 assists, 6.5 steals and 4.2 blocks per game while shooting 50.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 114.3 points per game.

Knicks: 6-4, averaging 114.7 points, 43.4 rebounds, 28.1 assists, 7.4 steals and 4.0 blocks per game while shooting 47.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 110.1 points.

INJURIES: Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo: day to day (calf), Taurean Prince: out (neck).

Knicks: Miles McBride: out (ankle).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.