Giannis, Middleton fuel Bucks’ big win over Knicks

Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks heads for the net as Nerlens Noel of the New York Knicks defends at Madison Square Garden on December 12, 2021 in New York City.  (Getty Images via AFP)

LOS ANGELES – Giannis Antetokounmpo posted his first triple-double of the season and Khris Middleton scored 24 points to lead the NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks to a dominant 112-97 victory over the New York Knicks on Sunday.

Antetokounmpo scored 20 points with 10 rebounds and 11 assists. He and Middleton led seven Bucks players to score in double figures in the wire-to-wire win.

Bobby Portis added 19 points and Rodney Hood scored 14 off the bench for Milwaukee, who led 61-48 by halftime.

The Bucks out-scored the Knicks 46-30 in the paint and converted 12 offensive rebounds into 22 points.

The short-handed Knicks lost for the eighth time in 10 games.

They are 1-6 since coach Tom Thibodeau removed Kemba Walker from the rotation, and Walker again didn’t play by coach’s decision even though Alec Burks was inactive for personal reasons and RJ Barrett and Obi Toppin were unavailable in COVID-19 protocols.

Forward Quentin Grimes, making his first NBA start, led the Knicks with 27 points. He set a Knicks rookie record with seven three-pointers on 13 attempts.

He had come into the contest averaging 1.8 points per game in 13 appearances off the bench.

Meanwhile veteran forward Julius Randle struggled, coughing up seven turnovers and contributing just eight points.

New York made seven of 13 three-point attempts in the third quarter, but the Bucks were able to douse any threat of a rally and the Knicks never got the deficit under 13 points in the final period.

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