Knicks Bulletin: ‘The makeup of our team is outstanding’

Finally, the Knicks won against what can be considered a basketball team.

Someone had to pay for the Knicks woes as they were inevitably going to explode at some point, and in this case, it was the poor Milwaukee Bucks who got demolished on Sunday, final score 140-106 inside the walls of the Garden.

New York enjoyed the trouncing, had a very serious scare involving Captain J, and ultimately went home happy, looking as good as they ever have after a putrid stretch of results.

Here’s what Coach Thibs, a few Knickerbockers, and a few Buckos had to say before and after Sunday’s affair and before taking on the Pistons later today.

Tom Thibodeau

On Cam Payne and Precious Achiuwa’s contributions off the bench:

“Huge. Huge. Huge. And those were big minutes, especially the way they unfolded.

“I think KAT, the early foul trouble, too, I thought Precious gave us good minutes. So that bench play was really good and we needed that.”

On the Knicks’ bounce-back performance:

“I thought it was a good response in all areas. We knew it would be a challenge, and I thought we responded in a positive way.”

On Jalen Brunson’s injury scare:

“Just had a little bit of a stinger. Got it checked out and he’s fine.

“We’ll see how he responds [Monday], but he said he felt fine.”

On Brunson’s leadership in Sunday’s blowout:

“I think it’s inspiring. A great leader unites and inspires. And it could be a lot of different ways. I’m a big believer not so much in what guys say but what they do.”

On the Knicks’ effort and resiliency to pull off the Bucks demolition:

“We know it’s a long season.

“The makeup of our team is outstanding. We’re not gonna be perfect. We’ll have some games where we fall short, but I know the work they put in and the commitment they made to each other, and that goes a long way over the course of a season.

“The idea is to play your best basketball at the end.”

Josh Hart

On Cam Payne’s scoring:

“He’s someone who’s very capable of scoring the ball at a high level.

“Obviously, playing behind JB, sometimes he doesn’t get those opportunities. But we know what he’s capable of, and that’s just gonna continue to fuel his confidence and our confidence in him.”

On Brunson’s hot scoring night making it easier for his teammates to attack the Bucks on offense:

“Obviously he’s a great player and he demands attention, but when he gets it going like that, sometimes they start to fire and blitz him and we’re playing four on three, and we’re able to get open shots and play to our strengths.”

On the Knicks’ outlook when everything clicks:

“It starts with Thibs, and then it trickles down to JB, KAT, OG [Anunoby], all them guys.

“It shows the character we have. Now, we just have to continue to build off of it.

On not having the luxury to rest on their laurels with Detroit coming to town on Monday:

“We’ve got a tough team tomorrow [in the Detroit Pistons]—a young team who’s gonna run. Obviously, it’s a back-to-back for us, so we’ve got to make sure we come out with an attention to detail and intensity.”

Jalen Brunson

On the team’s resilience after a bad loss against the Thunder:

“It says a lot about us, but we gotta continue it.

“I don’t really want to have a lot of bounceback days. I just want to continue to get better every single day, and continue to be consistent and that’s really what’s important for us.”

On his return from a shoulder injury midway through the game:

“I got hit, went to the locker room, did some [shoulder and strength] tests, came back out.

“I made the decision to go back out there.”

On urgency in the upcoming stretch of tough games against postseason-bound opponents:

“There’s just a sense of urgency to have energy and just be prepared, be locked in on the game. We were just out there doing whatever it took.

“It was important for us to go out there and play as best we can. The defense, the way we saw it I was able to get in the paint and make plays. It could be different the next day, but the same mindset every time we go out, it has to be like that.”

Doc Rivers (Milwaukee Bucks Head Coach)

On Thibodeau’s top-heavy rotation and lack of bench minutes:

“Has Thibs ever played his bench? I’m joking. I’m joking. It’s tough, though. It really is.”

On the Bucks’ performances against top teams:

“Knicks have kicked our butt twice, but we feel comfortable against anybody.

“But they’ve beaten us pretty soundly, so there’s something there.”

Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks Player)

On Brunson’s game:

“One of the best players in the league. One of the best point guards in the league.

“He takes his time, whenever you show your hand he’s gonna take advantage. He’s extremely smart so you just gotta do a better job on him.”

On the Bucks’ struggles against top teams:

“We’ve gotta get our stuff together. It’s as simple as that.

“We did not beat Boston. We did not beat the Cavs. We didn’t beat the Knicks. Those are the top three teams, and we’ve played horribly against them.”

Damian Lillard (Milwaukee Bucks Player)

On the context of Milwaukee’s losses:

“You have to have watched the games. One year, in Portland, we got our asses whupped every [regular-season] game by OKC. Then in the playoffs, we whupped their ass.

“So no, we haven’t beaten the top teams, but we also have to key in, look at why, figure out the context and move forward.”

On Cam Payne’s 18-point outing:

“Cam comes in, and it was the second opportunities, him being in transition, and him getting a couple of clean looks.

“You see the ball go in, and us being in that scramble situation and out of position, and then another guy gets going, it’s gonna be hard to win a game like that.”