Without superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, who missed Monday night’s game due to the birth of his newborn son, the Milwaukee Bucks escaped the Sacramento Kings for their 46th victory of the season.
The Milwaukee Bucks may have been without Giannis Antetokounmpo, but they had plenty of help to edge past a feisty Sacramento Kings squad in a 123-111 victory Monday night at Fiserv Forum.
A shootout immediately broke out once play tipped off in the first quarter and the Bucks were more than up for the challenge. Led by Eric Bledsoe, Brook Lopez and Khris Middleton, the Bucks took the early edge with a 38-24 advantage at the end of one.
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The Bucks’ offense immediately cooled off to start the second quarter, which opened the door for the Kings to overcome their poor play.
And all of their hard work disrupting the Bucks’ rhythm paid off as they took over the lead and were up 58-57 going into the halftime break.
Once play picked back up in the second half, the Bucks and the Kings were eager to trade baskets with one another, though the Kings continued to hang on with a slight lead. Milwaukee searched for a breakthrough all throughout the third and trailed Sacramento 90-88 going into the final frame.
That breakthrough immediately came to start the fourth quarter as the Bucks didn’t mess around to take back control of the contest with a game-shifting 10-0 run within the first 92 seconds of the period. While the Kings searched for ways to shrug off their offensive woes as the quarter went on, the Bucks maintained their hold on the game to calmly win their fifth straight victory.
So without further ado, let’s examine what stood out in the Bucks’ win over the Sacramento Kings Monday night, starting with the two-headed performance of both Eric Bledsoe and Khris Middleton.