NEW YORK -- Giannis Antetokounmpo showed why he is the NBA leader when it comes to points in the paint.

The Milwaukee Bucks forward drained a step-back jumper in the lane as time expired to lift the Bucks to a 105-104 win over the New York Knicks on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.

It was the first game-winning shot in his 3 1/2-year career.

Antetokounmpo posted his 16th double-double of the season with 27 points and 13 rebounds for Milwaukee (18-16). He's averaging 13.6 points in the paint for a team that leads the league in that department.

"I work on that shot a lot," he said. "I was patient. I knew I could shoot the ball over the top of anybody at any time. I wanted to make sure I took the last shot."

The Knicks (16-19) have been criticized during this six-game losing streak for not being aggressive on defense. That was not the case on Antetokounmpo's game-winning bucket. Lance Thomas was draped all over him as he dribbled to find separation for the shot before creating a little space with a nifty step back.

Prior to the play, the Bucks won a video replay with 8.6 seconds left after Antetokounmpo knocked the ball of off Derrick Rose's leg near the scorer's table. The inbounds pass went to Antetokounmpo who dribbled in traffic before launching the shot.

"We wanted to get him (Antetokounmpo) the ball and I thought Jabari (Parker) set a good screen," said Bucks coach Jason Kidd. "The guy who makes the shot gets all the credit, but passing the ball, getting the ball to Giannis is important.

"He (Antetokounmpo) is going to play thousands of games so he is going to have thousands of opportunities to hit game-winners. Tonight, I thought he got to his strength and he took his time. It wasn't a rushed shot. It shows his growth."

Milwaukee fought back from a 16-point third-quarter deficit. The Bucks outscored New York 32-17 in the fourth quarter with Antetokounmpo accounting for 12 points. Milwaukee scored 11 points in that quarter off of six New York turnovers. The Knicks converted just 7 of their 23 shots (30.4 percent) in the frame.

Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks (16-19) with 30 points and 11 rebounds for his third double-double this season. Rose and Mindaugas Kuzminskas added 15 points each for New York, which has allowed at least 100 points in the six straight losses.

Greg Monroe, who made a free throw to get the Bucks to 104-103 with 33 seconds to play, chipped in with 18 points and nine rebounds.

Thomas and Anthony sank back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Knicks a 98-93 lead with 5:39 to play and Anthony's putback dunk extended the lead to 100-93.

Milwaukee was able to get to 95-91 but went 3:22 without a made field goal. A 14-2 burst by Milwaukee in three minutes early in the fourth quarter cut the Knicks' lead to 89-87.

Anthony poured in 14 points as the Knicks outscored the Bucks 35-21 in the third quarter, taking an 87-73 lead.

New York opened the third quarter on a 16-5 run to grab a 68-57 cushion with 5:57 left. Joakim Noah had six points and six rebounds in the run.

Rose, who scored 11 points in the first half, tied the score at 52 with a layup with 26 seconds left.

Neither team was able to put together any significant run in the first half. Milwaukee's biggest lead was four points and New York's largest margin was three points.

The tight first quarter resulted in five lead changes and the score was tied five times before Greg Monroe's dunk with 11.9 seconds left lifted Milwaukee to a 27-25 edge.

NOTES: Knicks F Carmelo Anthony posted at least 30 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists and two steals for only the second time in his career. ... Milwaukee ranks first in the Eastern Conference in fast break points, points in the paint, field-goal percentage and opponents field-goal percentage. ... Knicks F Kristaps Porzingis missed his third straight game with a sore left Achilles. ... The Knicks assigned C Maurice Ndour to Westchester of the D-League. ... Milwaukee G Matthew Dellavedova was out with a strained right hamstring. ... Bucks F Giannis Antetokounmpo is the only player in the NBA averaging better than 20 points, 9.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.5 blocked shots per game. ... Bucks coach Jason Kidd and F Steve Novak were teammates with the Knicks during the 2012-13 season. ... The Bucks and Knicks face each other on Friday in Milwaukee.