
New York already swept its first-round opponent and we’re not even in the playoffs.
One day after clinching a postseason berth without even playing, the Knicks returned to the court and trounced the Bucks, sweeping Milwaukee in their regular-season series after beating them 116-107 on Friday.
As things stand, coincidentally or not, New York will face Milwaukee in the first round of the playoffs as the Knicks hold the no. 3 seed, and the Bucks sit in sixth.
Here’s what Coach Thibs and a few Knickerbockers have said before and after yesterday’s affair.
“What do you guys want? You guys want more minutes? Less minutes? Medium minutes? All I know is that it’s just not the right minutes”
–– Thibs ☠️ pic.twitter.com/dzarg5DQKC
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) March 29, 2025
Tom Thibodeau
On the minutes police:
“What do you guys want? You guys want more minutes? Less minutes? Medium minutes?
“All I know is that it’s just not the right minutes.”
On the team-wide effort to complete the Bucks’ regular-season sweep:
“You can’t say enough about what OG, Mikal and Josh did.
“They just fought throughout the game. [Towns] got in some early foul trouble. I thought Mitch’s activity today was huge. It’s a good, solid team win.”
On Mikal Bridges’ performance on Friday’s win:
“He’s not really a specialist. He’s an all-around player.
“He can go off the dribble. He can go pick-and-roll. He’s great in transition. He’s great moving without the ball.
“I like him in split games. I think he reads things extremely well, and he knows how to get to his spots, so his efficiency is very high.”
On Delon Wright’s first start for the Knicks:
“His defense you can always count on. That’s his strength, and he’s not afraid. He’s aggressive, and he knows how to play off people. I think he reads the game well. I think we got terrific point-guard play.
“I was going back and forth on [who to start], and I was comfortable with both (Wright and Tyler Kolek). A lot of it was based on I wasn’t quite sure who they were gonna start. Their size was a factor in it. But I was comfortable.
“And then you read the game like, ‘What do you need? What do you need more of?’ Both guys are really good players, they have different strengths, so you can adjust as the game goes.”
OG finished with 31 PTS and now has 3 straight games with 25+ PTS for the first time in his career! @nyknicks | @alanhahn | #NewYorkForever pic.twitter.com/Z6Ifanrv9Z
— KNICKS ON MSG (@KnicksMSGN) March 29, 2025
OG Anunoby
On the play of Kolek and Wright:
“They did an amazing job taking what’s there. Being aggressive trying to set us up get us into sets. They’ve done a phenomenal job and it’s getting better and better each game.”
On his recent scoring stretch:
“I’ve been getting better and better each game. That’s what it’s about. Growth. Just staying positive looking forward to the next one, always looking to grow and get better each game. Keep moving, be aggressive when I get it, be decisive, make an attack, and whatever I do, do it aggressively.”
On his second-half scoring surge:
“I always try to be aggressive. Just depending on situations, sometimes it comes or sometimes it doesn’t.
“Just today, I was really aggressive.”
Never give up Mitch pic.twitter.com/MbQMw8hHIS
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) March 29, 2025
Mitchell Robinson
On his ever-improving fitness as he keeps logging minutes:
“Obviously, conditioning is still a big part of everything for me.
“I did get a little winded the last two, three minutes in the first [half]. I need to work on that.”
God bless Mike Breen. pic.twitter.com/wMmFhbiz7Q
— Knickanator (@Knickanator_) March 29, 2025
Karl-Anthony Towns
On Kolek’s readiness:
“I usually say it’s confidence. But it’s not something for him. He’s very confident in what he does. I think what matters most at the end of the day is experience. He just has to garner experience, get a lot of reps. He’s getting a lot of reps right now in a pivotal time of the year. It’s a testament to him and his confidence.”
On Kolek’s performance:
“I just think that he’s done what he’s always done in the G League, in practices, in the NBA — just being totally confident in his skills and comfortable in his position. He’s doing a great job of getting us all involved and running the show, testament to his coaches at Marquette. Funny enough that we’re back home for him. He’s high-IQ. You can tell he’s been playing basketball for a while, just the way he understands the game, positions and situations. He’s just been fantastic.”
— Delon Wright (@delonwright) March 29, 2025
Delon Wright
On his first start as a New York Knick:
“Definitely [a good feeling].
“I feel like every team that I leave, I always have a good game the first game back or the first time playing them. I just wanted to keep that streak going.”
Tyler Kolek & Shaka Smart reunited at tonight’s Knicks/Bucks game
Kolek spent three years with Smart at Marquette! pic.twitter.com/DNyMBRJbFQ
— NBA (@NBA) March 29, 2025
Tyler Kolek
On stepping into a bigger role:
“Out on the floor, if you’re the point guard, you have to command the team, have a certain way about you, certain leadership qualities helping these guys out. Because you’re commanding men, at the end of the day. They’re looking to me, even though I’m a rookie, they’re looking to me like ‘what play are we running? What are we doing here?’ Just being confident with that stuff and being assertive.”
On getting his opportunity in Milwaukee:
“It’s crazy how things come together. First 70 games or so, just kind of supporting my guys, staying ready, and when the opportunity comes, you’re always gonna be ready for it. It just happened to be back in Milwaukee, where I played a lot of games, won a lot of games. Cam’s really taught me a lot this year. His whole career, he’s been in that backup point guard role, coming off the bench, being effective right away. You know you’re only getting that five-, six-minute stint coming off the bench, so you got to be effective in that. You don’t have time to get yourself into the game; you got to come in and be ready to go right away. It’s definitely something I’ve taken from him.”
Giannis on Knicks: “More physical, played with more effort––they’re a better team than us. Simple as that…Beat you already 2x…you gotta hit 1st, put body on the line…If we have opportunity to see them in playoffs, or whoever, we have to be toughest nastiest team…We have to…” pic.twitter.com/hXPh0pl5UO
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) March 29, 2025
Giannis Antetokounmpo
On the Knicks’ dominance over the Bucks:
“They are a better team than us. They beat you already—twice—you gotta come out and play with higher level intensity. You gotta hit first…
“I don’t think we did for 48 minutes. We have to do it more.”
On how the Knicks beat them:
“In the first half, Bridges knew I’m gonna stay with Towns—he took advantage of that—shoot, facilitate.
“In the second half, Anunoby—great player. That’s why they’re a good team; when one guy doesn’t go, they have other people that can carry that load.”
“That’s the political answer … the other side of that is ‘man I’m tired as s***.'”
Melo breaks down Mikal Bridges’ Knicks minutes comments and the hidden meaning pic.twitter.com/UeKv0iAFBI
— 7PM in Brooklyn (@7PMinBrooklyn) March 28, 2025
Carmelo Anthony
On the Knicks’ fatigue and Thibodeau’s rotation:
“Mikael Bridges is tired.
“This guy ain’t missing games since high school. Jalen Brunson ain’t say he’s tired but injuries will tell you that he’s fatigued, that you dealing with something.
“We just don’t have opportunities to take time away from the game to cater to these [problems].”
Raul Rosas Jr. spoke on the origins of “Chiwiwis” and the meaning behind the phrase #UFCMexico pic.twitter.com/QD9QtBR0Lz
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 28, 2025