• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Bucks pay Knicks a visit

Jan 4, 2015 - 2:34 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The New York Knicks will try to end a 10-game losing streak Sunday evening when they welcome the Milwaukee Bucks to Madison Square Garden.

The Knicks haven't won since a Dec. 12 decision in Boston. New York hasn't won at MSG since Nov. 22 versus the Philadelphia 76ers, a span of nine consecutive games.

The most recent setback came on Friday night, at home, against the red-hot Detroit Pistons. The Knicks fell, 97-81, but they fought back from a 33-point fourth-quarter deficit.

J.R. Smith tallied 22 points, while Cole Aldrich added 11 points and 14 rebounds for New York, which has lost 20 of its last 21. They were the only two double-figure scorers for the Knicks with Carmelo Anthony sitting out due to his lingering knee issue.

The Pistons shot 50 percent from the field.

"If you don't get offended by somebody scoring on you, I don't know what to tell you," Smith said of his team's defense.

Anthony's left knee soreness cost him his third game this season and head coach Derek Fisher acknowledged before Friday's contest there could come a time when the All-Star gets shut down for quite a while.

"From the conversations I've been a part of, I think everybody is smart enough to realize, calendar wise, timing wise, that there may come a point that that's the decision that needs to be made," Fisher said Friday.

Anthony hasn't made that decision yet and his status for Sunday is unknown.

The Bucks had a two-game winning streak halted Friday with a home loss to a division rival. The Indiana Pacers waltzed into the Bradley Center and left with a 94-91 victory.

The Bucks led by as many as seven in this one and carried a 68-66 advantage into the fourth quarter, but Indiana took the lead for good on Donald Sloan's 3 with 9 1/2 minutes remaining.

Milwaukee was just 9-of-24 from the floor in the fourth quarter, including 1- for-7 on 3-pointers.

"We couldn't get stops when we needed to and we missed shots we normally make," said Bucks coach Jason Kidd.

Brandon Knight had 20 points for the Bucks. Zaza Pachulia contributed 12 points and 14 rebounds in the loss and John Henson scored 14 with 10 boards.

Khris Middleton and O.J. Mayo both finished with 11 in the loss.

Before the game, Kidd announced that center Larry Sanders will be out for personal reasons with no timetable for his return. Sanders will be away from all team activities.

"It's just personal," Kidd said. "There's nothing I can give you more. That's the way the question will be answered."

Forward Ersan Ilyasova is still out following a concussion.

The Bucks beat the Knicks on Nov. 18 in Milwaukee, but the Knicks are 8-2 in their last 10 versus the Bucks. New York has won five straight as the host in this series.