The New York Knicks will visit the Fiserv Forum to take on the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA In-Season Tournament Quarterfinals on Tuesday, December 5th. Ahead of the Knicks-Bucks showdown, we'll be making our Knicks In-Season Tournament Quarterfinals bold predictions.

New York earned its spot in the Knockout Round by finishing 3-1 in the Group Stage and tallying a plus-42 point differential to book their second date with Milwaukee in the NBA In-Season tournament. The Knicks' lone defeat came at the hands of the Bucks, who dealt them a five-point loss during their first In-Season Tournament encounter last month.

The Knicks just fell short in the end as the Bucks ended up winning 110-105 after Damian Lillard activated Dame Time down the stretch. New York trailed for the majority of the evening but took the lead momentarily in the final minute after Jalen Brunson nailed a go-ahead triple before Lillard scored eight of the Bucks' final 10 points to close the game. Despite the loss, Brunson popped off for 45 points on 17-of-30 shooting.

It has been over a month since the Knicks suffered that disappointing loss. Since then, the Knicks have gone on to win 10 of their last three games and are currently tied for fourth in the Eastern Conference standings. Meanwhile, the Bucks have won nine of their last 11. Expect this to be a battle between defense and offense. If the Knicks can avenge their loss to the Bucks last month, they will take on either the Boston Celtics or the Indiana Pacers in Las Vegas. Nonetheless, here are our Knicks' bold predictions for the 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament quarterfinals.

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Jalen Brunson will pop off for another 40-point night

Jalen Brunson exploded for 45 points the previous time the New York Knicks squared off against the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks had absolutely no answer for Brunson then, where he went 17-of-30 from the field and made 9-of-11 freethrows. They won't have an answer for him Tuesday night.

Though Milwaukee has improved defensively, perimeter defense is still an issue for this team. As mentioned, Brook Lopez and Giannis Antetokounmpo have done a terrific job holding down the fort. But the Bucks' first line of defense is still vulnerable. As he did in their first meeting, the lefty sliced up the defense with his craftiness. The former Villanova standout was able to get to his spots in the midrange with ease and also finished a ton of shots in the lane despite standing just 6-foot-2.

With that, expect Brunson to have another high scoring evening and notch his third 40-ball this season.

Julius Randle will notch his first triple-double of the season

Julius Randle was horrendous in New York's first encounter with Milwaukee. So look for him to bounce back in a big way with higher stakes this time around. That game marked the last of his historical six-game stinker to begin the season before he finally turned it around the next game in a win over the Los Angeles Clippers. That is also when the Knicks started their 10-3 stretch, wherein Randle has averaged 23.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 5.7 assists.

The left-handed forward has been flirting with a triple-double over the last couple of games. He tallied 29-10-8 in their six-point win over the Detroit Pistons, then had 20 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists during their 119-106 win over the Toronto Raptors. With Randle knocking on the door of his first trip-dub of the season, we predict him to finally achieve the feat in the Knicks' In-Season Tournament game against the Bucks.

Knicks avenge their loss and upset the Bucks in the quarterfinals

New York had the best defense in the NBA and were No. 2 in opposing field goal percentage during the Group Stage. As such, the Knicks should hang their hat on their defense if they want to book a trip to Las Vegas.

In line with the prediction above, the Knicks play best when Julius Randle is in top form. And so far, Randle has been playing like the two-time All-Star that Knicks fans have come to know and love. As long as Randle doesn't act up and instead, channels his energy into hustling, defending, and playing the right way, New York has a great chance of taking down Milwaukee's superstar duo.

The Knicks' first encounter with the Bucks certainly could have gone in New York's favor had they been able to contain Damian Lillard down the stretch. Nonetheless, the Knicks have a chance to avenge that loss by eliminating Milwaukee in the In-Season Tournament.