The NBA In-Season Tournament kicks off on Friday with a matchup between the New York Knicks (2-3, 2-2-1 ATS) and the Milwaukee Bucks (2-2, 1-3 ATS). These teams are in East Group B, which also features Miami, Washington and Charlotte. The Knicks just lost at home to the Cavaliers 95-89, losing outright as 5.5-point favorites. The Bucks just took a surprising loss in Toronto, going down 130-111 as 4.5-point favorites. Milwaukee is currently listed as 6-point favorites. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 EST from the Fiserv Forum, and can be found on ESPN.

Knicks Split With Cavs

The Knicks and the Cavs just played games on back to back nights, alternating home court. Surprisingly, the road team won both matchups to split the series. In the first game, Julius Randle led the Knicks to a win, finishing with 19 points and 10 rebounds. In the second game, Donovan Mitchell helped Cleveland bounce back by dropping 30 in the win. The Knicks will play their first game of the In-Season Tournament on the road, with all tournament games counting toward their record except the championship.

RJ Barrett is in his 5th season in the NBA, and has been a starter with the Knicks since day one. Barrett sat out the second game against Cleveland with knee soreness, but is expected to play against Milwaukee. Barrett is leading the team in scoring with 21.0 PPG, while shooting 42.9% from three. Jalen Brunson has been the top shooter for New York, he is knocking down 43.3% of his threes on 2.6 makes per game, and is just behind Barrett in scoring with 20.6 points per game. Julius Randle is the Knicks’ top inside scorer, but is off to a slow start with just 13.2 PPG, after averaging 25.1 per game last season. Randle still finds ways to impact the game, he leads the team in assists with 5.2 per game and grabs 10.2 RPG.

Mitchell Robinson and Quentin Grimes round out the starting lineup as role players, each averages around six points per game, and Robinson leads the team on the glass with 11.4 RPG. Immanuel Quickley is a big scorer off the bench, he sparks the second unit and is averaging 16.2 PPG. Donte DiVincenzo and Isaiah Hartenstein contribute off the bench.

Bucks Are Still Adjusting

Damian Lillard to Milwaukee was the biggest move of the offseason, but it has not been a huge success yet. The Bucks have won two and lost two, not a disaster, but they certainly do not look as strong as the Celtics who are undefeated with their new pieces. In their last game the Raptors beat Milwaukee by 19, as Giannis only finished with 16 and Lillard with 15. The star duo is expected to put up bigger numbers, as their games should pair together excellently with Lillard’s shooting and Giannis’ finishing ability around the rim.

Giannis is leading the Bucks in points and rebounds with 24.5 and 8.5 respectively. He is coming off his lowest scoring output of the young season against Toronto, but in the previous game against Miami he dropped 33. Damian Lillard is averaging 21.3 points per game, but it is not a consistent 21 points. Through four games his point totals are 39, 6, 25, and 15, he either finds his rhythm offensively, or struggles to get going. The Bucks are looking for my consistency from their new star point guard. Khris Middleton is easing his way into the rotation, he is only playing 16 minutes per game, and averaging 7.3 points.

Brook Lopez starts inside and averages 10.8 points and just 3.8 rebounds per game. Malik Beasley has been starting on the wing, and has been the team’s best shooter with 3.0 made threes per game, and averages 12 PPG. Bobby Portis provides energy off the bench, the big man averages 12 points in just 19 minutes per game. Jae Crowder and Pat Connaughton fill out the rest of the rotation. The Bucks rank 9th in pace of play, averaging 101.8 possessions per game.