New York Knicks vs Milwaukee Bucks 11/5/21: Starting Lineups, Matchup Preview, Betting Odds, Live Stream
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New York Knicks vs. Milwaukee Bucks Matchup Preview (11/5/21)
The injury-riddled Milwaukee Bucks (4-4) host the New York Knicks (5-3) in Fiserv Forum. This is one of the nationally televised games on Friday night’s slate; however, the Bucks could be without Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday, and Brook Lopez. Milwaukee has struggled with injuries and health and safety protocols early in the season, which plays to New York’s favor. The Knicks will be looking to turn it around in this one after back-to-back losses against mediocre Eastern Conference teams.
If Milwaukee wants to end its cold streak at Fiserv, it will need to feed Giannis early and often and then play off him for the rest of the game. Assuming Giannis gets the ball a ton at the beginning of the game and is effective, scoring inside and outside, then the Knicks’ defense will collapse, and there will be open three-point opportunities. It will then be up to the supporting role players to knock down shots, particularly Pat Connaughton and Grayson Allen.
The Knicks have a fairly straightforward path to a road win against the Bucks. They need to get Julius Randle a ton of touches and work off of him offensively. New York has done a great job putting points up this season but will have to improve defensively to compete with a healthy Milwaukee team and the Miami Heat in the future. This will be a good opportunity for the Knicks to execute and build confidence.
New York Knicks vs. Milwaukee Bucks Betting Odds
The odds for this game have not been made available yet to the public at the time this article was written, but there are plenty of catalysts to go over for this bout between the New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks. The Knicks are completely healthy and have plenty of depth at all positions. Meanwhile, there are several injuries for the Milwaukee Bucks, including Brook Lopez (back), Khris Middleton (COVID protocol), and Jrue Holiday (ankle). When these players have been out for the Bucks, they have had a losing streak at home, dropping three straight. On the other hand, the Knicks are coming off back-to-back losses, and I don’t see them losing three straight, especially at the hands of a Bucks team that is down three key players, two of which who are All-Stars.
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TV Schedule
Date: 11/5/21
Time: 7:30 PM ET
Arena: Fiserv Forum – Milwaukee, WI
Channel: ESPN
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Knicks @ Bucks
New York Knicks Starting Lineup
PG: Kemba Walker
SG: Evan Fournier
SF: R.J. Barrett
PF: Julius Randle
C: Mitchell Robinson
New York Knicks Analysis
The Knicks started hot this year but have been a bit cold lately, losing back-to-back games to the Toronto Raptors and Indiana Pacers. To be fair, the Pacers were fully healthy, save T.J. Warren, for the first time in a long time, and shot the ball extremely well in the first half. Still, New York is looking for a big rebound game to get itself back on track. The Knicks are 5-3 and rank very high offensively, which is a complete turnaround from last season. They are second in 3P% (three-point percentage), third in offensive efficiency, fourth in points per game, and eFG% (effective field goal percentage). New York plays at a much quicker pace this season but that has created some issues at times defensively. For instance, the Knicks allowed an awful New Orleans Pelicans team to put up 117 points on them. While they did get the win, it is still a very different style of play than we are accustomed to. Luckily, they have the personnel to play that way, and they should get a road victory against a battered Bucks team.
Milwaukee Bucks Starting Lineup
PG: George Hill
SG: Pat Connaughton
SF: Grayson Allen
PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo
C: Thanasis Antetokounmpo
Milwaukee Bucks Analysis
Milwaukee looked great in its first game against the Brooklyn Nets, where it further showed its dominance at home in Fiserv Forum. Since then, the Bucks have lost three straight games at home and ran into several injuries and COVID issues. Khris Middleton, the Bucks’ second-leading scorer, tested positive for COVID-19 and has been consequently placed into the NBA’s health and safety protocols. The Bucks will be without Middleton for the next few games, including this one. They have also lost Jrue Holiday to an ankle injury for several games and Brook Lopez to a minor back injury. For now, it doesn’t look like any three of the aforementioned players will be able to play on Friday, which would be a problem. Giannis is superhuman but does need help, and the Bucks are really thin right now, exemplified by them starting Giannis’s brother, Thanasis. Offensively, the Bucks rank middle of the road in most team statistical categories, including 15th in points per game and 16th in offensive efficiency and eFG% (effective field goal percentage). By their standards, they have been inferior from behind the arc, ranking 18th in 3P% (three-point percentage).
New York Knicks vs. Milwaukee Bucks Daily Fantasy Picks
R.J. Barrett has taken a huge step forward this season in his offensive efficiency. He has averaged 18.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.6 assists on 51.1% from the field and 42.9% from behind the arc, despite shooting almost two fewer shots this season. Barrett has especially exploded the past three games, scoring 27.3 points per game on incredible efficiency. This looks to be the beginning of a breakout season for Barrett, and it would be a good idea to ride the momentum in DFS.
Grayson Allen is a normal starter for the Bucks these days, at least until Donte DiVincenzo returns. DiVincenzo may or may not step into the starting lineup role when he is healthy, but for now, Allen is a terrific play in DFS. He has been getting plenty of usage on offense, especially with Middleton, Lopez, and Holiday out. Allen only played 21 minutes in a blowout win against the Detroit Pistons, but the game before, he put up 18 points on 5-for-10 from behind the arc and 6-for-14 from the field in 31 minutes of action. Expect a healthy bounce back from Allen in this game, especially considering the Bucks will need help on offense outside of Giannis.
