MILWAUKEE _ What was there to lose?
The Knicks, who had dropped 10 of their last 11 games, opened a brutal, six-game road trip Thursday night against the Milwaukee Bucks, a team with the second-best record in the Eastern Conference and a team that had just beaten them by 14 points on Christmas Day.
Knicks coach David Fizdale surely felt he needed to do something to shake the team up, so he announced before the game that second-year big man Luke Kornet would start in place of veteran Enes Kanter.
Though the change did not cause the Knicks to change their losing ways, Kornet did score a season-high 23 points in a 112-96 loss.
Kornet shot 7-for-11 from 3-point range, including three in the third quarter.
The Knicks defense' was just no match for the Bucks powerful frontcourt. Giannis Antetokounmpo, a top contender for the league's MVP, had 31 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists. Khris Middleton scored 25 points and Brook Lopez added 17 points and shot 3-for-6 on 3-pointers.
While Kornet shot well, another young Knicks starter struggled. Kevin Knox scored just 12 points and shot 4-for-15. Emmanuel Mudiay scored 13 points and shot 6-for-15. The Knicks were playing without top scorer Tim Hardaway Jr., who is on the trip but suffering from an illness. Courtney Lee, who started in his place, had nine points.
