Knicks Look to Show True Colors Vs. Bucks

The Knicks, coming off a 116-87 defeat in Philadelphia on Friday, aim to pick up their defense and get back on track tonight when they host the new-look Milwaukee Bucks at Madison Square Garden at 6 p.m.

“I’ve been in basketball long enough where you don’t win all the time,” said new Head Coach Mike D’Antoni, whose Knicks dropped to 1-1 following Friday’s loss. “As long as these guys are sticking together, which they are, and as long as they give me 100 percent, which they do, and care about winning and losing, that’s all a coach can ask for.”

The Knicks showed signs of the fast-paced offense that helped put 120 points on the board in Wednesday’s home win over the Heat, but they struggled from the perimeter and gave up easy baskets to the Sixers on Halloween night.

“We shot 32 percent, so if you’re going to try to win and shoot 32 percent, it’s going to be tough.” D’Antoni said. “But obviously they shot the ball too well and our defense has to get better. There are a lot of areas we need to improve on and we’ll definitely go to work and try to do that.”

The Knicks allowed the Sixers to shoot 59.1 percent from the field and watched Elton Brand, a newcomer to the Atlantic Division, score most of his game-high 24 points from the low post.

Zach Randolph had a hand in Brand’s face on several shot attempts, but the Sixers’ big man still managed to make his way to the bucket with ease and went 12-for-19 from the floor. The Knicks, who are still looking for their first blocked shot this season, recognized after the game that defense needs be a team effort in order to be successful.

“Everyone is not the best one-on-one defender, but as a team we could be great,” said Nate Robinson, who recorded three steals and was one of five Knicks in double figures with 12 points.

Jamal Crawford led the Knicks in scoring with 14 points, while David Lee added 13 points and 11 rebounds. Randolph scored 12 and Wilson Chandler had 11 for the Knicks, who played without veterans Eddy Curry and Stephon Marbury for the second straight game.

Curry was in uniform but did not play, and Marbury was deactivated for the game and will remain inactive for the foreseeable future.

Instead, D’Antoni went deep into his bench with youngsters Anthony Roberson, Mardy Collins and rookie Danilo Gallinari as the game appeared out of reach early in the fourth quarter.

After the setback, D’Antoni quickly shifted his focus to the next game and promised that his team would be ready.

Similar to the Knicks, the Bucks made changes in their front office and brought in a new head coach following a disappointing season where they finished with a 26-56 record, the third-worst in franchise history.

However, while New York decided to go with an offensive-minded leader, Milwaukee took a defensive approach with veteran coach Scott Skiles.

Skiles is expected to bring a toughness to the Bucks, who have struggled on defense over the past few seasons and relied mostly on the offense of sharp-shooting guard Michael Redd.

After helping the U.S. team win a gold at the Beijing Olympics, Redd is off to another strong start alongside forward Richard Jefferson, one of seven new players on the Bucks this season.

The duo scored 20 points apiece in a 98-87 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday to help Skiles notch his first victory as the Bucks’ head coach.

The two teams will meet again in Milwaukee on Nov. 21 before the four-game season series shifts back to The Garden on Dec. 19.