In fact, if Ingles hadn't been unavailable tonight because of back muscle soreness, Thibodeau probably wouldn't have put Gallinari on the court at all.
Add Fournier, who had long been completely DNP'd, and Walker, who was DNP'd from time to time, and the Knicks simply had too few players they could actually use...
And if the Bucks kept targeting Portis over the next few possessions, Gallinari would probably be headed back to the bench soon...
Of course, before that happened, he should still be able to contribute something on the offensive end in the next possession.
Back to the Knicks' offense.
Hart brought the ball across half court, then looked for Drummond's pick-and-roll screen at the top of the key.
He used the screen to dribble two steps into the paint, then passed out to Eason on the wing.
Eason caught the ball, took two steps to the right, then handed it off to Chen Xi before turning to set a screen for him.
Chen Xi used the screen, took another step toward the top of the key, and slipped around Eason. He gathered the ball, rose, and shot a three-pointer.
Swish~~
The Basketball swished through the net!
Another three-pointer.
48–37.
The lead was back to 11.
Possession returned to the Bucks.
Lillard received the inbound in the backcourt, turned, and brought the ball up to the top of the key. He looked for Portis again.
Once Portis had established position, Lillard lobbed the ball inside.
Portis caught it and went back to work in the post against Gallinari.
He turned after making contact and dribbled toward the middle, but Eason immediately offered help defense. Portis had no choice but to pass back out to Middleton.
Middleton reacted quickly, swinging the ball to the other side. The Knicks' defensive rotation