Milwaukee Bucks: 3 takeaways from 129-128 win over Sacramento Kings
The Milwaukee Bucks escaped the City of Trees with a 129-128 victory over the Sacramento Kings Saturday night at the Golden 1 Center.
On a night when they were without superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo and on the second night of a back-to-back following their rout over the Portland Trail Blazers, the Bucks were in need of all the help they could get without the reigning MVP.
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Thankfully, multiple Bucks players stepped up to the challenge, whether it was Jrue Holiday, Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis, just to name a few.
Despite the wealth of performances the Bucks enjoyed, the Kings gave Milwaukee all they could handle until the final seconds on the night. Yet the Bucks prevailed, picking up their third straight win and their season series with the Kings simultaneously.
So without further ado, let’s break down what all stood out in the Milwaukee Bucks’ win over the Sacramento Kings.
Bobby Portis gives Milwaukee Bucks a lift in win over Kings
It’s been a strange week for Bucks forward Bobby Portis. The veteran forward missed the start of the Bucks’ road swing out west after being placed in the league’s health and safety protocols due to contact tracing. After producing consecutive negative tests, Portis rejoined the team Friday morning ahead of their win over the Blazers, but showed his rustiness unsurprisingly.
Needless to say that Portis didn’t show any signs of rust Saturday night as he provided his scoring punch coming off the Bucks’ bench. Portis finished with 18 points on 8-for-10 shooting, along with six rebounds, an assist and a turnover in over 20 minutes of action.
The efficient performance that Portis in was helped by his mid-range marksmanship as Bucks ball handlers consistently set up ideal looks for the former Razorback to hit shots off pick-and-pops as well as in the post. With his scoring lift, Portis accounted for 18 of the team’s 33 bench points, which was surely needed without the Bucks’ leading superstar.
Above all else, it was encouraging to see Portis get back up to speed and be at full health after having missed their first pair of games on this current road trip.