The Bucks (6 - 5) held off the Knicks (3 - 9) 117 - 113 in Milwaukee on Tuesday. Milwaukee, which led by 17 at halftime, extended the lead to as much as 26 points in the third quarter, but the Knicks came storming back to close the gap late in the fourth quarter. Down 15 to begin the final period, the Knicks slowly chipped away at the lead, whittling it down to single digits with under three minutes to play. A Tim Hardaway, Jr. layup followed by a thunderous Iman Shumpert baseline slam cut the lead to just four with 1:51 remaining, but Khris Middleton responded with a pair of free throws on the other end to extend it back to six. After two J.R. Smith free throws, Milwaukee ran the shot clock down on its ensuing possession, ending in an Ersan Ilyasova step - back jumper from the left corner. Ilyasova knocked it down, returning the lead to six points. While the Bucks allowed New York to score three baskets in the final 30 seconds, Jerryd Bayless was able to ice the game at the line, going 5 - of - 6 in the final 26 seconds. The Bucks, who won their fourth game in five tries, placed seven players in double - figures, led by 20 points from Ilyasova off the bench. Brandon Knight added 14 points and nine assists, while Zaza Pachulia, starting in place of the injured Larry Sanders, added 14 points and 13 rebounds. Jabari Parker chipped in 12 points, and Giannis Antetokounmpo had 13 points and six rebounds in 18 minutes. Milwaukee out - rebounded New York 44 - 28 and scored 14 more points in the paint. The Knicks lost for the eighth time in their last nine games despite shooting 55 percent from the field. Carmelo Anthony led the way with 26 points, six rebounds and five assists, and Hardaway added 24 points off the bench. Shumpert finished with 21 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in 36 minutes, easily his best performance of the season. Milwaukee heads east to take on the Nets in Brooklyn on Wednesday, while New York moves on to face the Timberwolves in Minnesota, also on Wednesday.
["PlayerStat(G,'JR Smith') has 2 Assists ,has 2 Defensive rebounds ,has 2 3-pointers attempted ,has 2 Field goals made ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Carmelo Anthony') has 5 Assists ,has 26 Defensive rebounds ,has 6 3-pointers attempted ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Iman Shumpert') has 8 Assists ,has 4 Defensive rebounds ,has 4 3-pointers attempted ,has 36 Field goals made ,has 4 Free throws attempted ,has 21 Free throws made ,has 8 Minutes played ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Tim Hardaway Jr.') has 4 Assists ,has 24 Defensive rebounds ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Giannis Antetokounmpo') has 18 Assists ,has 13 Defensive rebounds ,has 6 3-pointers attempted ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Jabari Parker') has 12 Assists ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Zaza Pachulia') has 14 Assists ,has 13 Defensive rebounds ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Khris Middleton') has 6 Assists ,has 4 Defensive rebounds ,has 2 3-pointers attempted ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Brandon Knight') has 9 Assists ,has 14 Defensive rebounds ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Ersan Ilyasova') has 2 Assists ,has 20 Defensive rebounds ,has 2 3-pointers attempted ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Jerryd Bayless') has 3 Assists ,has 3 Defensive rebounds ,has 6 3-pointers attempted ,has 5 Field goals made ,has 3 Free throws attempted ."]