The Bucks still had Lillard out there with a group of reserves.
At the start of the second quarter, Cousin showed off his exceptional ability to shoot off the dribble.
Right from the opening, he repeatedly used the pick-and-roll, first sinking a three and then a long mid-range two, helping the Bucks extend their lead.
Meanwhile, the Knicks had predictably stalled during the early part of the quarter with Chen off the court.
They failed to break through the Bucks' defense on several consecutive possessions. It wasn't until 2:05 that Walker drove to the basket and barely managed to draw a foul.
Walker stepped to the line and made just one of his two free throws, scraping together a single point.
Then, on the ensuing fast break, Lillard powered past a screen and charged straight to the basket, finishing with a one-handed slam dunk that completely set the pace of the game.
Under the circumstances, the Knicks clearly had no other option.
Thibodeau immediately called a timeout. Chen Xi then checked back in ahead of schedule, replacing Walker.
The timeout ended, and play resumed.
The Knicks went on offense.
Fournier brought the ball across half court and reached the top of the key, then passed it straight to Chen Xi.
With Craig defending him, Chen Xi moved to the right wing, where he caught the ball and quickly squared up to attack, putting the defense under immense pressure.
He held the ball in a triple threat stance, tapped out two probing steps with his right foot, then drew his foot back and raised the ball for a shot fake. In the next instant, he drove hard to his left, heading toward the middle of the court.
He beat Craig's defense and made it just past the free-throw line before