Julius Randle #30 of the New York Knicks drives to the net against Bobby Portis #9 of the Milwaukee Bucks at Madison Square Garden on December 27, 2020 in New York City. Mike Stobe/Getty Images/AFP
Julius Randle recorded a game-high 29 points and 14 rebounds Sunday night as the New York Knicks led almost the entire way in a stunning 130-110 win over the visiting Milwaukee Bucks.
The win by the Knicks snapped a five-game losing streak against the Bucks dating back to Dec. 25, 2018. Milwaukee won the three games between the teams last season by a combined 91 points.
Elfrid Payton had 27 points and seven assists for the Knicks, who won for the first time under new head coach Tom Thibodeau. Alec Burks scored 18 points off the bench while RJ Barrett added 17 points and eight rebounds for New York, which shot 54.1 percent (46-of-85) from the field, including 59.3 percent (16-of-27) from 3-point range.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 27 points and 13 rebounds for the Bucks, who were just 7-of-38 from 3-point range (18.4 percent). Khris Middleton had 22 points while Bobby Portis (17) and Donte DiVincenzo (10) also got into double digits.
The Knicks trailed just twice in the first quarter — at 2-0 and 19-18. The Bucks pulled within 45-41 on a dunk by Portis with 3:26 left in the second before New York headed into the locker room with a 61-45 lead thanks to a half-ending 16-4 run in which Burks scored six points.
The Knicks extended the lead to 20 early in the third quarter following a 7-0 run. The Bucks got as close as 11 points when Middleton sank a pair of free throws with 2:53 left, but Payton hit a pair of 3-pointers in a 13-3 spurt that ended with Randle converting a three-point play to give New York a 96-75 lead heading into the fourth.
The Knicks then scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter on back-to-back layups by Barrett and a 3-pointer by Frank Ntilikina to open a 28-point lead. The Bucks got no closer than 20 points and began emptying their bench before the midway point of the period.