As the Knicks reached halfway into their season Monday night, they paid tribute to their first half by going hot and cold for 48 minutes.
That meant taking a 17-point lead into the third quarter before slipping away in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter.
Jrue Holiday then delivered a pair of daggers in the last minute, sinking a 3-pointer and another long jump to help the Bucks to a 111-107 win at the Garden.
“I’ve seen a championship team just wear us down and blow us away,” said Jalen Brunson on a night when his career high of 44 points wasn’t enough. “We didn’t put up enough resistance to get that lead. I have to give them credit. We have to get better, but they also have to be given credit.”
In their first loss since December 29, the Knicks (22-19) went down a point midway through the season after their previous 17 games had an eight-game winning streak followed by a five-game losing streak followed by a four-game winning streak.
Julius Randle’s struggles leaned toward the Knicks as they saw their four-game winning streak come to an end. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
After the Knicks led by as many as 17 points in the third quarter, the Bucks (26-14) made a run to get into the fourth quarter within five. It then took them just 2:34 to lead and gave up three straight 3-pointers to take an 82-81 lead – their first lead since the 9:47 mark in the second quarter.
Teams mostly traded buckets over the next eight minutes, with the game tied at 97 with two minutes remaining before Holiday made his mark. He scored 10 points in the final 2:23, including a 3-pointer that put the Bucks 103-99 with 47.1 seconds left and a contested jumper that took the lead to 105-101 with 29.1 seconds left expanded.
“We are not closed [the third quarter] out and we gave them life,” said Julius Randle, who recorded 25 points and 16 rebounds but only shot 1-for-12 from deep. “You don’t want to make a team like that with championship experience. Definitely a learning experience for us. The coach always says play hard with the lead and gain experience and we will do better.
Jalen Brunson’s 44 points helped the Knicks make up for a slow start. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
Randle and Mitchell Robinson held Giannis Antetokounmpo somewhat at bay with 22 points and 10 rebounds, but Holiday effectively played the role of closer.
The Knicks missed their first seven shots from the floor, falling 10-2 behind. But they got an early gift when Bucks defenseman Holiday picked up his third foul just 4:28 of the game and sent him to the bench.
Brunson quickly put the Knicks on his back. The point guard threw in 18 of the Knicks’ 22 points in the first quarter, allowing them to go into the second quarter with a 22-22 draw.
Jrue Holiday’s last-minute shots eventually sank the Knicks.Getty Images
They did so despite recording zero assists in the first 12 minutes and Randle – who’d been mostly wrecking the first quarter lately – shooting just 1 for 12 from field, including 0 for 8 from beyond the arc.
Immanuel Quickley (23 points) then took the baton from Brunson in the second quarter, scoring the Knicks’ first six points and dropping 13 points in that quarter. He booked a 7-1 run with a 3-pointer and two free throws that helped the Knicks create some separation before going 51-46 at halftime.
In the third quarter, Quickley scored five straight points to spark a 13-1 run as the Knicks took a 70-53 lead.
But the Bucks stormed back into the game to wrap up the third quarter, using a 12-3 run to pull within 78-73 en route to the fourth where they finished the win.
“Obviously in Giannis and Jrue they have one of the best players to play this game because they’re just as clutching as he is, they just wouldn’t walk away,” Brunson said. “You have to give them credit. They used their experience against us.”