Looking to rebound from three consecutive defeats against teams far from the playoff contention, the Milwaukee Bucks will be hosting the New York Knicks this Sunday.

The Bucks (47-30) suffered a home loss to the Toronto Raptors 117-111 on Friday night after being defeated by Washington and Memphis in their previous two matches. The Raptors managed to end their 15-game losing streak that night.

Milwaukee’s standout player Giannis Antetokounmpo was sidelined due to a hamstring injury. Damian Lillard led the charge with 36 points, supported by Khris Middleton with 21 points and reserve player Bobby Portis contributing 19 points and securing 10 rebounds.

“This is on me; I have to figure out what we got to do to play at a higher pace,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. “I’m frustrated and they’re frustrated, but that’s not gonna get you anywhere. We have to work ourselves through this.”

Rivers acknowledged feeling the mounting pressure on his team due to their recent setbacks.

“You can feel it during the game,” he said. “Even one of the officials said it, you can feel the heaviness of your team right now.”

New York (45-32) is also coming off a defeat, having narrowly lost to the Chicago Bulls on Friday night with a final score of 108-100.

Jalen Brunson stood out for the Knicks, scoring 35 points and providing 11 assists. Miles McBride made a significant impact off the bench with 19 points and seven rebounds.

“Our rebounding wasn’t good enough, we were slow to the ball — that was probably the difference in the game,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “Our margin of error is very tight right now, so we have to be able to get past any distractions.”

All-Star guard Brunson leads New York in scoring with an average of 28 points and 6.7 assists per game this season. Isaiah Hartenstein excels in the rebounding department with 8.3 rebounds and slightly over one block per game.

Antetokounmpo holds the lead for the Bucks in scoring with averages of 30.7 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game. Lillard distributes seven assists per game, while Brook Lopez blocks an average of 2.4 shots per game.

In terms of injuries, Antetokounmpo, Patrick Beverley (ankle), and MarJon Beauchamp (ankle) are considered day-to-day for Milwaukee.

For New York, Duane Washington Jr. (thumb) and Charlie Brown Jr. (illness) were absent in Friday’s game, and star player Julius Randle will miss the remainder of the season due to shoulder surgery, a decision announced on Thursday.

Although the teams have already met four times this season, their last encounter dates back to Christmas. New York emerged victorious in that game with a score of 129-122, following Milwaukee’s victories in the first three matchups.

Jalen Brunson delivered an impressive performance on Christmas at MSG with 38 points and six assists. Randle contributed 24 points, while Antetokounmpo and Lillard each scored 32 points for Milwaukee.

Milwaukee had dominated the Knicks in nine consecutive games before Christmas. They have already secured the season series win for the third consecutive season, courtesy of the extra game from the in-season tournament.

These teams offer a compelling contrast in playing styles. Milwaukee ranks third in the league in scoring with an average of 119.9 points per game, whereas New York excels in defense and rebounding, holding the second spot with 107.9 points allowed per game and ranking fifth with 45.4 rebounds per game.