Business trip or not, this certainly resembled a holiday at times for the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Bucks followed up a few days of sightseeing in London with an easy victory over the NBA’s worst team, making for a pleasant flight back across the Atlantic.
O.J. Mayo scored 22 points, while Brandon Knight had 20 points and six steals as the Bucks routed New York 95-79 on Thursday night, extending the Knicks’ franchise-record losing streak to 16.
Photo: Reuters
“This was a great trip for our team,” Mayo said. “Great team bonding, great time sightseeing... It was a pleasant trip.”
It left a lot to be desired for the fans, though.
With the Knicks showing why they have lost 26 of 27 games and are an NBA-worst 5-36, the contest was a poor advertisement for the NBA in its annual London game that showcases its brand overseas.
The Knicks missed their first 10 shots — three in a 6-second span — and gave up 14 offensive rebounds, 10 in the first half.
The Bucks took a 14-0 lead, were up by 24 in the second quarter and never let New York closer than 11 the rest of the way.
“We didn’t give ourselves much of a chance after the first few minutes of the game,” Knicks coach Derek Fisher said.
The return of Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire did little to spark New York.
Anthony led the Knicks with 25 points. Stoudemire was scoreless in 8 first-half minutes and did not play after the break. Anthony missed the previous six games because of a knee problem, and Stoudemire had been sidelined since Dec. 25, also with a knee injury.
Even after being sidelined for two weeks, Anthony was surprised by New York’s slow start.
“It’s just a recurring act. It’s the same thing happening over and over again,” Anthony said. “We’re the only people that can control that.”
With both coaches resting their starters in the fourth quarter, New York cut it to 87-76 with 4:38 to play.
However, Bucks coach Jason Kidd put Knight back in — while Anthony stayed on the bench — and Mayo finished off the game with a three that made it 92-76 with 3 minutes left.
Mayo scored 16 points in the first half on 6-of-8 shooting. Giannis Antetokoun added 16 points for the Bucks, while Khris Middleton scored 14 and Zaza Pachulia got 11.
Meanwhile, Knight and Mayo played with all the intensity that New York was lacking. Knight did a bit of everything, adding six assists and five rebounds.
“I just try to lead by example,” Knight said. “I just try to be an extension of coach Kidd. But our bench also does a great job of being a calming influence.”
Anthony said he does not expect to miss more playing time in the near future following his two weeks on the sidelines. “I’m back. I’m back playing,” the forward said. “I really think these two weeks really helped.”
CAVALIERS 109, LAKERS 102
LeBron James scored 36 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers snapped their six-game losing streak with a 109-102 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, despite Kobe Bryant’s 19 points and career-high 17 assists.
Kyrie Irving added 22 points for Cleveland, who had lost nine of 10 before James held off Bryant down the stretch in an entertaining duel between two basketball icons.
Bryant hit a three-pointer with 1:54 left and two free throws with 43 seconds to play, cutting Cleveland’s lead to 103-99.
However, James drove past Bryant for an acrobatic layup with 20.9 seconds left, then Bryant missed a jumper that essentially ended it.
Jordan Hill scored 20 points in the Lakers’ ninth loss in 12 games.
ROCKETS 112, THUNDER 101
James Harden scored 15 of his 31 points in a big first quarter for Houston against Oklahoma City.
Harden came just short of a triple-double with 10 assists and nine rebounds.
Trevor Ariza added 17 points and four steals for Houston. The Rockets led 40-18 after one and bounced back after a loss to Orlando on Wednesday night that snapped a four-game winning streak.
Kevin Durant had 24 points and 10 rebounds for the Thunder, who have lost three of their last four games.
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