Getty Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks will visit the New York Knicks on Christmas.
The Milwaukee Bucks and the New York Knicks will meet at Madison Square Garden to kick off the NBA’s Christmas Day festivities.
The game is scheduled to start at Noon ET and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN. If you don’t have cable or can’t get to a TV, you can still watch a live stream of the game (or DVR it) on your computer, phone, or streaming device by signing up for one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services:
In addition to a Netflix-like on-demand streaming library, Hulu also offers a bundle of 50-plus live TV channels, including ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU. You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone, tablet, or streaming device via the Hulu app.
If you can’t watch live, “Hulu with Live TV” also comes with 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials).
ESPN and ESPN2 are both included in the “Sling Orange” channel bundle. You can sign up for a free seven-day trial right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the Sling TV website, or on your phone, tablet, or streaming device via the Sling TV app.
If you can’t watch live, you can get 50 hours of cloud DVR storage as an additional add-on.
ESPN Platforms
Additionally, you can watch a live stream of the game on your computer via ESPN.com, or on your phone, tablet, or streaming device via the ESPN app. You’ll need to log in to a cable provider to watch this way, but if you don’t have that, you can still sign up for one of the above options and then use your Hulu or Sling TV credentials to sign in and watch on the ESPN digital platforms.
Preview
The Knicks (9-25) topped Milwaukee 136-134 in overtime in the teams’ previous matchup on December 1 at the Garden, behind 28 points from point guard Emmanuel Mudiay and 26 from rookie forward Kevin Knox.
“We’ve been competing a lot throughout this whole year,” Knox said, according to the Associated Press. “We lost a lot of games that have been down to one, two, three (points), so we’re going to compete to the end of the game. We just kept fighting, competing and we just made sure that we kept chopping at the lead.”
After Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo failed to chase down a Mario Hezonja dunk, the Knicks forward stared the MVP candidate down and stepped over him.
“Honestly, if you’re afraid, this is not for you,” Hezonja said after the game, per AP. “I don’t want to be disrespectful but if you feel fear, this is not the place for you. New York Is not a place for you and this team is not a place for you.”
Antetokounmpo scored 33 points and grabbed 19 rebounds.
“I’m going to punch him in the (groin) next time,” he said, per AP.
Since that win, the Knicks have dropped nine of 10, most recently falling to the Atlanta Hawks.
New York led by nine at halftime against Atlanta, but scored just 38 points in the second half to lose 114-107.
“For whatever reason, we are hitting the wall in that third quarter,” Knicks head coach David Fizdale said, per AP. “That’s our new quarter for some reason. We look fatigued and we stop moving the ball. Everything that was sharp in the first half, kind of fades out in the second. We have to figure it out.”
The Bucks (22-10) lost to the Miami Heat on the second night of a back-to-back on Saturday, snapping a four-game winning streak. Antetokounmpo scored a season-low nine points, adding 13 rebounds, three assists, and a pair of blocks.
“They hit us first, they were physical with us,” he said, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “We came from a back-to-back, but that’s not any excuse for us. We didn’t make shots; we had a lot of open shots that didn’t go in. Just being able to stick around and be in the game and have a chance to win says a lot about this team.”
Neither team shot over 40 percent from the field in the 94-87 Miami victory.
“Our guys competed and kept coming back on a night where it was tough to buy a bucket,” Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said, per the Journal Sentinel. “But I think the defensive effort and activity and competitiveness was in a great place. … Just couldn’t make a couple plays down the stretch, but I’m proud of the way the guys competed.”