MILWAUKEE _ Talk about rubbing it in.
The Knicks and the Milwaukee Bucks have seen their seasons go in polar-opposite directions since the last time the teams played each other on Feb. 6. Just in case the Knicks hadn't noticed, the Bucks were all too happy to remind them on Friday night.
In the team gift shop at Bradley Center, the Bucks were selling T-shirts commemorating All-Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo's dunk over the Knicks' Tim Hardaway Jr. in that game.
And while Friday night's 120-112 Bucks win over the Knicks didn't contain that level of highlight-worthy hijinks, it was definitive enough to remind both teams of how vastly different their fortunes have been since that game at Madison Square Garden.
Last month's game against the Bucks basically signaled the end of any Knicks playoff hopes as All-Star Kristaps Porzingis suffered a season-ending knee injury in the second quarter. That loss was the second in a skid in which the Knicks have dropped 14 of their past 15 games.
The Bucks are looking at making the playoffs for the second straight season and entered Friday night in eighth place in the Eastern Conference. Antetokounmpo is the league's No. 3 scorer, averaging 27.2 points, and looking very much like the kind of young player that you can build a contending team around.
Khris Middleton led all scorers with 30 points and Antetokounmpo added 28 points and 10 rebounds. His most impressive play of the night, however, came on defense when he blocked Emmanuel Mudiay at the end of the third quarter. The Greek Freak said that there's nothing in particular about the Knicks that brings out the best in him.
"I'm just trying to make plays," Antetokounmpo said before the game. "Luckily, I've made some great plays against the Knicks."
It was uncertain before the game whether Hardaway was aware of the T-shirt highlighting the dunk. He did, however, lead the Knicks offensively, scoring 26 points and shooting 10 for 20. Mudiay, who was 3 of 25 on the first three games of the current road trip, finished with 19 points and shot 7 for 14. Enes Kanter had 16 points and eight rebounds and Troy Williams came off the bench and scored 18 points.
It was Hardaway and Mudiay who kept the Knicks in the game until the start of the final period, but a 19-7 run to start the fourth quarter crushed virtually any hope of a Knicks win.
