Milwaukee Bucks: 3 things to watch for against Sacramento Kings

Don’t get caught off guard

The Sacramento Kings may be the surprise package of the early season, but getting caught off-guard after they’d already picked up five consecutive wins would certainly not be a good look for the Bucks.

With victories over Oklahoma City, Memphis, Miami, Washington, Orlando and Atlanta on the season to date, the Kings haven’t exactly been getting the better of the NBA’s elite. Of that group, only the Memphis Grizzlies currently have an above .500 record, with the six teams posting a combined record of 18-30 on the year to date.

Still, the Kings shouldn’t be demeaned or slighted for beating the teams that the schedule placed in front of them, and fueled by the confidence that provides, they may well like their chances of taking a bigger scalp on Sunday.

To prevent them from doing that, the Bucks will have to pay close attention to Fox, who has masterfully orchestrated the offense with averages of 19 points and 7.8 assists per game. Buddy Hield is living up to his sharpshooting reputation from his days in Oklahoma, averaging 19.8 points per game on 48.9 percent shooting from three-point range. Things even look to be falling into place for Willie Cauley-Stein, with the big man averaging 16.8 points and 8.7 rebounds per game.

On the more experienced end of the scale, the addition of Nemanja Bjelica has also proved vital, as the Serbian sharpshooter is averaging 15.6 points on 55.3 percent from deep.

The Kings’ impressive start may well prove to be unsustainable, but there are undoubtedly players and elements of their style that the Bucks will have to take special care in handling on Sunday afternoon.

The game will be televised by Fox Sports Wisconsin, with tip-off from Fiserv Forum scheduled for 2.30pm CT.