Knicks vs. Bucks: Score, Highlights, Reaction from 2017 Regular Season

The New York Knicks exacted some revenge on the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night, overcoming a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit and a hole as large as 18 to win 116-111 in BMO Harris Bradley Center.  

Trailing since the beginning of the second quarter, Carmelo Anthony knocked down a go-ahead three-pointer with less than a minute left in the game to spark the Knicks' win shortly after Kristaps Porzingis fouled out. 

Anthony led all scorers with 26 points to go with 10 assists on the night, while Porzingis added 24 points and six rebounds.

This came just two days after Giannis Antetokounmpo hit a buzzer-beater at Madison Square Garden to down the Knicks and complete a 14-point fourth-quarter comeback.

He and Jabari Parker each put up 25 points on Friday, but Antetokounmpo also added six rebounds, five blocks and two steals. 

The Knicks got off to a nice start with a 9-0 run to open up the game. But the Bucks countered with a 17-4 run of their own spurred by Antetokounmpo, via the NBA:

But New York had a talented, versatile big man of its own in Porzingis, who made his return on Friday after missing the last three games with a sore Achilles, via the Knicks:

He and Antetokounmpo provided a tantalizing matchup for basketball fans, even though Porzingis was limited at times upon his return. 

Josh Eberley of Hoop magazine likened the meeting to that of myth given that these were two young, 7-foot players who possess game-changing skills:

Mashable's Sam Laird thought he just stepped out of a time machine:

A closely contested first half was blown open thanks to a 14-2 Milwaukee run sparked by the Knicks' inability to hold on to the ball. 

In a six-possession span, New York turned the ball over five times, allowing the Bucks easy transition opportunities. The Knicks committed 11 turnovers in the second quarter alone with Porzingis off the floor for most of it.

The Bucks were also red-hot from three-point range, hitting their first eight attempts. Granted, the Knicks weren't doing a lot to defend the perimeter, much to the dismay of Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News:

On the defensive end, Antetokounmpo was just as menacing around the rim, including this soaring block on a Kyle O'Quinn floater:

After the dust settled on the one-sided quarter, Milwaukee had a 12-point halftime lead with Antetokounmpo and Parker combining for 28 points. 

The Knicks came out firing on all cylinders to start the second half with Porzingis back, embarking on a 15-4 run to make it a one-point game. But Milwaukee answered back with an 11-0 run of its own to rebuild a comfortable advantage. 

During that Bucks stretch, Antetokounmpo reached the 20-point mark for the 14th straight game. It's the second-longest active streak in the league behind that of Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas, via the ESPN telecast. 

While Milwaukee amped up the intensity on a dragging Knicks defense, Parker had an opportunity to show that he could fly just like Antetokounmpo:

Their performance had Bleacher Report's Ry Cole expecting big things from them in the coming years:

However, there was still a quarter left to play, and a 13-point lead wasn't safe, especially after Wednesday night's encounter. 

New York attempted to do what Milwaukee pulled that night, starting the fourth on a 12-0 run to cut it to a one-point game. It was capped off by an uncontested three-pointer from Anthony, via the NBA:

After the Bucks reopened a seven-point lead, Porzingis showed off his versatility with two straight three-pointers to bring it back down to one with 6:33 left. The second was from well beyond the three-point line, via the NBA:

That was his last big contribution, as he fouled out with 2:44 left with the Knicks still down one. 

Without Porzingis, the Knicks looked as though they were doomed, but Anthony proved he's still a force in New York as he drained a three with 51 seconds left to give his team its first lead since the start of the second quarter:

The defense came up big at the right time on the following possession, forcing a steal that led to an easy two for Courtney Lee to create a three-point lead with 27 seconds left, much to the astonishment of the Knicks' Twitter account:

"

And…we have the lead… #NYKvsMIL

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) January 7, 2017"

This was a game the Knicks had to have considering that they will be in Indiana on Saturday night to take on the Pacers, who got Friday off. 

It's just the start of a month in which New York will play 17 games. Such a tight schedule might not be kind to the Knicks, but getting a come-from-behind win like this could be looked at later on in 2017 as the turning point of their season.  

Postgame Reaction

Bucks head coach Jason Kidd tried to figure out what went wrong for his team down the stretch, via Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

"We didn't get stops; they made some timely shots," Kidd said. "And it turns when Melo makes a three. Going into the fourth we had control of the game, and our engines kind of turned off."

But he had no problem describing how good Antetokounmpo is.

"He's one of the best in the whole world," Kidd said. "You'd have to expect he's going to come with his best tonight. He helped his team. He causes a problem. He gets to the free-throw line, and he's able to shoot the three."

For Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek, a full roster could signal a turnaround in fortunes, via Gardner: "Now we have our full team back again. It's not an excuse; those other games we've still got to find a way to win. But you saw tonight, guys got in foul trouble and we had enough guys that could go in there and fill in. It helps greatly for our confidence."

With a six-game losing streak snapped, the Knicks can ride this momentum toward a successful January and a serious charge at the playoffs.