Bucks put up 146 points vs. Knicks to reach tournament semis - ESPN

MILWAUKEE — When the Milwaukee Bucks put together the duo of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, they envisioned their team would have the kind of offensive firepower it displayed Tuesday night.

The Bucks put up their highest point total of the season in a 146-122 victory over the New York Knicks to advance to the semifinals of the NBA's in-season tournament Thursday in Las Vegas, where they'll face the Indiana Pacers.

«I thought this was probably our best offensive game,» said Lillard, who scored 28 points on 8-of-13 shooting. «That doesn't mean we're going to turn into a team that does that every night, but I do think we have that type of explosiveness. We can't depend on having these types of nights every time, but it's definitely a look at the kind of nights we can have offensively.»

Antetokounmpo paced the Bucks with 35 points and 10 assists, and Milwaukee improved to 12-1 this season when Lillard scores at least 25 points, but the Bucks rode an avalanche of 3-pointers to victory. Milwaukee made 23 of its 38 3-point attempts while shooting 60.5% from the field, just the second time in franchise history the team has shot at least 60% while taking 35 3-pointers.

And the Bucks did so against one of the NBA's stingiest defenses in New York, which led the league in opponent points per game entering Tuesday before giving up the most points the franchise has allowed since 1979.

«They're a terrific offensive team,» Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. «We gave them confidence early, and then the start of the third was a big problem for us.»

The Bucks improved to 5-0 during this in-season tournament, defeating the Knicks for the second time in tournament play. Milwaukee began the season with championship aspirations, but