The Milwaukee Bucks are set to play in what is going to be their most important game of the season thus far. This comes in the form of a single-elimination matchup against the New York Knicks in the NBA’s In-Season Tournament.
Milwaukee came out of East Group B undefeated, which allowed them to secure the top spot in the conference. The Knicks, on the other hand, entered the quarterfinals as the wildcard side. The records will be thrown out the window, though, as these two teams battle in a one-game win-or-go-home bout.
Damian Lillard Looking Forward to Milwaukee Bucks-New York Knicks Matchup
Bucks superstar Damian Lillard is looking forward to the matchup. Dame knows that Milwaukee has the upper hand given how they’ve already beaten the Knicks once earlier this season.
“We’ve taken more pride in it each game,” Lillard said of the in-season tournament, via Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “We put ourselves in great position in winning all four of our games and now we’re hosting the first one against a team that we beat in the (group play). I thought we played a pretty solid game against them and we’re improving.”
As Lillard said, the Bucks are a better team now than when they first defeated the Knicks back in early November. They also have home-court advantage over Jalen Brunson and Co., which should tip the scales in Milwaukee’s favor.
Vegas-Bound
The winner of Tuesday’s game will head on to Las Vegas for the semifinals. They will get to face either the Boston Celtics or the Indiana Pacers, who are playing their elimination contest on Monday.
For his part, Dame revealed that the squad already has its sights set on a mid-season trip to the gambling capital of the world:
“One game and then we off to Vegas,” Dame said. “Everybody in this room want to be in Vegas. For a lot of reasons.”
You can be sure, though, that the Knicks will have a thing or two to say about that.
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