When you win in the NBA by 32 points, something has gone wildly well, usually multiple things, to be honest.

On Tuesday night, the New York Knicks had many things go well in their 117-85 thrashing of the Milwaukee Bucks.

1) The Knicks so thoroughly own the glass, they should charge other teams rent

Everyone knew the Bucks would struggle this season, but one pleasant surprise has been their rebounding. Milwaukee woke up this Wednesday morning top-10 in both offensive and total rebounds. I stressed “this Wednesday morning” because those rankings were even better before Tuesday's game. And I didn't bother to mention that many teams who rebound well on their own glass do so because they miss so many shots. Manners cost nothing.

The Knicks woke up this morning top-five on both ends and first overall, and those numbers got a big boost from their bigs. Karl-Anthony Towns and Andre Drummond combined for 30 boards as New York hauled in two-thirds more defensive rebounds (41-25) and double the offensive rebounds (17-8) as the Bucks. Not a single visiting player had more than five. Both Gotham’s giants had as many in the first quarter.

Health permitting, this trend is likely to continue. KAT and Drummond are both historically prolific on the glass, and at this point they are competing with each other as much as any opponent. Among all NBA players this season, per 100 possessions, Towns ranks 31st in offensive rebounds and second in both defensive and total rebounds. Drummond is first in all three. 

Shooting comes and goes. Chemistry is a volatile compound. Size is one of the only constants in the NBA. When it comes to the glass, the Knicks are the bad boys, even as they await the return of one of the baddest.

2) Everybody eats when everybody cooks and all the Knicks were cooking

The Knicks are the defending champions. The Bucks are tied with the Kings and Jazz for the league’s worst record. Unlike previous years, when bottoming out had the whiff of tanking behind it, being bad is no longer good for teams thanks to lottery “reform” (last season, eight teams lost at least two-thirds of their games; eight have done so far this season). So to stink in 2026-27 is to doubly stink.

You could see Towns or Jalen Brunson circling as a chance to put up numbers. OG Anunoby wants to be an All-Star this year; this was a chance to pad his case. It’s gonna take some big outings for Mikal Bridges to get his numbers back to their normal levels. Any number of Knicks might have viewed the Bucks less as competition and more as convalescence.

The assist numbers suggest otherwise, and it wasn’t the volume: New York finished with 26, their season average. What stood out was who was doing the diming—everybody. Nine Knickerbockers had multiple assists, five had three or more, and yet the team leader was Tyler Kolek with four. That kind of balance has Simone Biles jealous.

The Bucks are not representative of the level of opponent the Knicks will see in the playoffs. The level of unselfishness on display from the Knicks is reminiscent of what we saw in last year’s playoffs. The competition will stiffen, but if the Knicks continue to share and move the ball like they’re capable, they’re going to be tough to beat.

3) The Knicks shot the ball like they were the league’s leading scorer

Luka Doncic is on one heck of a scoring run. The Laker star leads the league in 3-point tries and makes and free-throw attempts and makes. If he finishes averaging the 39.3 points a game he currently is, it’d be the most by any player since Wilt Chamberlain 64 years ago. He’s shooting 50% from the field and 41% from deep. What a mensch.

The Knicks made 51% of their 2s and 39% of their 3s, and for good measure, 80% of their free throws. What menschen.

Acknowledging that the competition was subpar, the Knicks need nights like Tuesday, when everyone is in sync, the ball keeps swinging, and the shots keep splashing. New York is averaging 111 points a game, but there’s a catch: the only teams they’ve scored more than that against are the Bulls (twice) and the Bucks. They’ll face those teams again to open December, but most nights will feature a better class of competitors.

The Knicks need to play with the same force and mindfulness they showed moving the ball and themselves Tuesday against the Bucks. They may not resemble Doncic every night, but just like few players have answers when he’s got it all clicking, few teams have any for the Knicks when they do. On Tuesday, they did.