The Knicks’ chances of snagging the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference from the Milwaukee Bucks might have gotten somewhat easier with three games left to play.
Entering Wednesday night’s action, New York sat just one game behind the Bucks for second place in the conference after a 3-1 stretch that has seen them hop from fifth to third over the Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic.
Despite a win over the No. 1 seeded Boston Celtics on Tuesday night, the Bucks appeared to receive a considerable blow when superstar big man Giannis Antetokounmpo went down with a non-contact injury late in the third quarter.
It appears they avoided a worst-case scenario as initial tests ruled out an Achilles injury and revealed a calf strain. The severity of it, at this time, is unknown.
Conservative estimates suggest that Antetokounmpo could miss the final three games of the Bucks’ regular season, which features two games against a Magic team battling for a top-three spot in the East and the third-best team in the West, the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Antetokounmpo has missed only six games this season, to which the Bucks are 3-3 without him, but he has been dealing with some nagging issues — specifically a hamstring problem — as of late.
The Knicks would have to win at least two out of their final three games to put any sort of pressure on Milwaukee, which will be no easy task. They visit the Celtics in Boston on Thursday before hosting the Brooklyn Nets and Chicago Bulls to close the season out.
If the two teams finish with the same record, the Bucks hold the tiebreaker having beaten the Knicks three out of five times this season.
For more on the Knicks, visit AMNY.com
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