Mike Brown Credits Knicks' Defense in Win Over Bucks

On Tuesday night, the New York Knicks defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 117-85 at home. The Knicks' record improves to 6-4, and they seem to have hit their stride in the 2026-2027 season. 

The Knicks were led by Jalen Brunson, who finished with 23 points in the blowout win. Karl-Anthony Towns also had a big game, rebounding the ball, finishing with a game-high 16 rebounds in this matchup. 

Defensively, New York played really well, especially on the perimeter, against a Bucks team that has some offensive talent spread out on the perimeter. After the game, the Knicks' head coach, Mike Brown, spoke to the media about the team's defense, and he gave a lot of credit to that area for the big win. 

"I thought our physicality on the defensive end of the floor was at a pretty high level and they did it the right way," Brown said. 

"You know, they had two 13-point quarters and you know, I'm sure they missed some shots, but I thought we also impacted their shots..." 

The Knicks also dominated the rebounding game in this one, as they outrebounded the Bucks 59-32. That was part of their identity last season when they won the NBA championship, and we've seen it slowly come back to them throughout the 2026-2027 regular season. 

New York also got to the free-throw line frequently in this game, shooting 25 total free throws compared to the Bucks' 10. The Knicks were efficient in that area as well, going 20-for-25 in the game. 

Moving forward, this is a win that can continue to help the Knicks build confidence. They've been winners of 6 of their last 7 games now, and they seem to have found a groove in the early portion of the season. 

New York has been able to get back to playing a physical brand of basketball while being explosive on offense, and it has shown up in their results recently. 

In this game, the Knicks were able to play all the players on their roster, and some of the depth that they have was put on display. Guard Tyler Kolek came off the bench and scored 12 points on 5-6 shooting from the floor. 

If the Knicks' bench can continue to improve as the season progresses, they could be in for another deep playoff run. New York plays their next game against the Cleveland Cavaliers Wednesday night at home.