New York Knicks Win Final Summer League Game

Friday night the New York Knicks took on the Milwaukee Bucks on the consolidation bracket.

New York played without Kristaps Porzingis and Langston Galloway in the lineup, which made the game whole lot less entertaining to watch.

Porzingis out today. Feeling is no point. Hasn't signed contract.
— Marc Berman (@NYPost_Berman) July 18, 2015

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Jerian Grant got it going early for the Knicks, leading a to a quick 13-8 advantage with 5:24 remaining in the first quarter. Grant was responsible for seven of the 13 points in the opening quarter, dishing out an assist to Ricky Ledo for a three and then Alex Kirk for a jumper. Grant then called his own number, knocking down a long jumper just a step inside the three-point arc. On the ensuing possession Grant impressively blocked Jorge Gutierrez at the rim. Grant blocked a couple of shots in the first quarter. Grant continued to prove himself capable of starting, finishing the game with 11 points and 6 assists.

Milwaukee responded with a mini 5-0 run to tie the game up at 13 a piece. New York immediately responded with a 7-2 run with Thanasis Antetokounmpo scoring five straight points. Antetokounmpo got to the rim on consecutive possessions, getting a layup and then a vicious two-hand dunk. New York led 22-18 after one quarter of play.

The Knicks went on a mini-drought to start the second quarter, scoring only on a Antetokounmpo layup in three minutes of action. The Bucks would go on a drought of their own though, going scoreless for four minutes, although New York did not fare much better in that time…missing three shots while compounding the problem with three turnovers. However New York was able to go on a 6-0 run in the time span to take a 30-24 lead with 4:31 remaining in the first half.

The Knicks then went ice-cold from the field, allowing the Bucks to take the lead by halftime. Milwaukee went on a 12-2 run to end the first half, taking a 36-34 lead. The Bucks would continue to build on their lead out of the half, going on an 8-0 run early in the third quarter powered by back-to-back three-pointers by Sean Kilpatrick and Rashad Vaughn. Kilpatrick and Vaughn provided almost a majority of the Bucks’ offensive output, combining to score 36 points together.

In a flash New York erased an eight point deficit as Milwaukee showed no resistance in the paint, allowing six straight layups/dunks. Next thing you know the Knicks were only down by one point 49-48. Ledo and Grant proceeded to completely erase the deficit by hitting back-to-back three-pointers to give New York a five point lead.

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Antetokounmpo in one possession showed why he might be deserving of a permanent roster spot on the Knicks, as he aggressively played the passing lane, tipping the pass, then running down the loose ball and slamming it home to give New York a 58-49 lead with 1:23 remaining in the third quarter. Antetokounmpo finished the game with 17 points, going a perfect 7/7 from the field (all dunks/layups). Bucks’ sophomore standout and brother Giannis Antetokounmpo was loving his brother’s success.

When it was all said and done, New York lead 62-53 entering the final quarter of play. The fourth quarter was largely uncompetitive as Milwaukee could not mount any comeback. New York won their fifth and final Summer League game 83-76.

New York had four players in double figures, although Kirk and Ledo was relatively inefficient in doing so. Kirk needed ten field goal attempts to score ten points, while Ledo scored 15 points on 16 field goal attempts.

Now we all just have to wait for training camp to begin.