:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/25403501/20131218_pjc_sh5_078.0.jpg)
Well, that was...something!
In a game that lasted far longer than it ought to have, the New York Knicks outlasted the Milwaukee Bucks in double overtime, 107-101, behind 29 points from Carmelo Anthony and 21 points from Beno Udrih. The game would likely have been finished one overtime sooner if not for a truly bizarre and so very #Knicks decision by Andrea Bargnani. With 16.9 seconds remaining and his team up by 2, Carmelo Anthony launched a jumper that missed the mark, but a classic tap-out offensive rebound by Tyson Chandler put the ball in the hands of Bargnani. All he had to do was hang onto the ball and wait for the foul to come. He would do no such thing. Bargnani let the three-pointer fly without hesitation, missed, and Ekpe Udoh grabbed the rebound to give the Bucks a chance to tie.
Milwaukee wasn't able to create a great look on their subsequent possession, but a shot-fake by Brandon Knight set up a step-through scoop shot that made it onto the rim, which was enough; John Henson had gotten position right in front of the rim and tipped the ball in with 0.3 seconds remaining to even the score.
The Bucks had a chance to win in regulation after forcing a miss on the baseline by Udrih with 19 seconds, but a poorly-executed play on the other end finished with a 19-foot jumper by John Henson that predictably bricked off the front of the rim. The offensive rebound wound up in the hands of Khris Middleton, who managed to get off a contested fadeaway jumper as time expired, but his shot too failed to find the mark.
Brandon Knight exploded for a career-high 36 points on 13-25 shooting, including 22 in the first half on 7-10 shooting. But he struggled much more after the break as his shot stopped falling and the turnovers started piling up. Knight finished with 8 of Milwaukee's 22 turnovers (one shy of their season high) and countered with only 3 assists. He got stripped under his own basket twice and threw a number of sloppy passes, including plenty that the Knicks failed to come up with. Knight has flashed big-time scoring potential in the last few weeks, but he has to cut down on the mistakes if he's going to have the ball in his hands as much as the Bucks expect him to.
Giannis Antetokounmpo started for the first time in his career and got off to a rough start, hitting the bench with two fouls less than halfway through the first quarter. But he turned things around quickly when he got back on the court, sparking the resurgence with what's becoming a very typically sequence for him: he scored his first points on a putback slam in the second quarter, grabbed a defensive rebound after a missed jumper by Carmelo, pushed the ball up the court and dished it to Middleton for a transition layup.
Maybe even more impressive than the usual highlight plays was the sheer intensity Giannis showed all night. He seemed to relish the opportunity to defend Anthony, the NBA's second-leading scorer, and truthfully he did one hell of a job. Giannis' combination of quickness and length hounded Melo on the perimeter and swallowed him up in the post. It was an admirable job by him and Middleton, who combined to hold Carmelo to 9-29 shooting.
John Henson finished with his second 20/10 game of the season, scoring 20 points on 7-14 shooting while grabbing 14 rebounds. Milwaukee outscored New York 25-14 at the free-throw line but was undone by the Knicks' 17 made three pointers and their own shoddy ball control. The Knicks attempted 41 threes, their highest total of the season.