Parker's return, Antetokounmpo too much as Bucks top Knicks in final second
Jabari Parker scored 12 points in his first game since February of last season and Giannis Antetokounmpo capped off a 29-point night by scoring with a second left as the Milwaukee Bucks held on for a 92-90 victory over the New York Knicks on Friday night at the Bradley Center.
Antetokounmpo pulled down an Enes Kanter miss with 24 seconds left and worked the clock down before putting up a left-handed floater, giving Milwaukee the lead in the final second. The Knicks called timeout, and Tim Hardaway Jr. missed a 3 as time expired.
Antetokounmpo hit 10 of 21 shots and went 8-for-12 from the free throw line while adding 11 rebounds for the Bucks, who were playing without point guard Malcolm Brogdon after an MRI revealed a partially torn left quadriceps tendon that will sideline him six to eight weeks.
Kristaps Porzingis and Enes Kanter scored 17 each to lead New York, which shot 40.4 percent and was just 5-for-25 from beyond the arc.
Parker had been sidelined since Feb. 8 of last season when he tore his left ACL for the second time in his brief career. He played his limit of 15 minutes and showed few signs of rust in the opening half, scoring 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting. He got his first true test of the knee in the final minute of the first quarter, driving the length of the court, planting and going up for a dunk.
He didn't make the bucket but did draw contact and split a pair of free throws, tying the game at 27. New York took a one-point lead into the second quarter, and it was a 55-55 game at halftime.
It was tied again to open the fourth, but the Knicks pulled ahead with five straight points to open the quarter before Milwaukee responded with a 9-0 run to go up 83-79 on Matthew Dellavedova's 3-pointer with 8:15 to play.
Milwaukee still led by three when Eric Bledsoe fouled out with 6:28 to go. The Knicks outscored Milwaukee, 7-2, over the next three minutes to go up a pair with 3:25 left.
Antetokounmpo converted two free throws a minute later, tying the game at 88, and after Porzingis put the Knicks back in front with a layup, an Antetokounmpo jumper tied the game again with two minutes remaining, setting the stage for his heroics shortly afterward.
--Field Level Media
