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.
Milwaukee Bucks overcome Khris Middleton’s struggles in win over Kings
While Portis trended upwards with his solid performance, Khris Middleton largely didn’t have the same luck in the Bucks’ win over the Kings.
Middleton ended his night with 16 points on 4-for-16 shooting (1-for-5 from deep, 7-for-7 from the free throw line), five assists, three boards as well as three turnovers, two steals in nearly 34-and-a-half minutes of run.
It was an incredibly rough start and performance for Middleton as he struggled to dial in his scoring throughout the first half. It took until the 8:24 mark of the third quarter for Middleton to convert his first made field goal of the night, which turned out to be a tough driving layup that turned into an old-fashioned 3-point play.
Middleton fought through the adversity and showed some signs of life early in the fourth quarter by hitting shots in true Middleton trademark fashion. While he kept shooting all throughout, the veteran Bucks forward still had some shaky moments down the stretch like his last-second timeout that the Kings contested was either a travel or falling out of bounds.
Milwaukee still prevailed in spite of Middleton turning in one of his roughest outings of the season. There’s no question the two-day layoff will do Middleton some good in order to recalibrate from such a performance.
Jrue Holiday and Brook Lopez pilot Milwaukee Bucks to victory
Middleton’s prominent struggles were mitigated by the excellent performances the Bucks got out both Jrue Holiday and Brook Lopez in their win over Sacramento. They also shared the fact that they had season-highs in scoring, which was critical in light of Middleton’s down night and being without the aforementioned Antetokounmpo.
While Lopez got his night started by sinking a deep triple in the opening minutes, he saved the bulk of his scoring damage directly at the rim. Whether it was his pick-and-roll prowess with Holiday in particular or putting down skilled finishes when touching the paint, Lopez was automatic as he put down all of nine of his shot attempts taken within the arc on the night.
With that serving as his featured contribution, Lopez had 26 points on 11-of-13 shooting (2–for-4 from three), four boards, a pair of blocks and a steal in just over 31 minutes.
Turning our attention over to Holiday, the Bucks’ star guard continues to play at such a high level as he’s gotten back up to speed after having COVID-19.
The 12-year veteran was dialed in straight away scoring the ball as he put down a variety of tough shots off the dribble, whether it was hitting his patented step back jumpers, hitting from three or making his way to the cup to give him 21 points in the first half alone. While he came back down to earth over the second half, it was Holiday who put down the decisive buckets the Bucks needed late before Pat Connaughton’s free throws closed it out against the Kings.
Along with all of that, Holiday was in total control when looking to make feeds to his teammates as he regularly put the ball in the exact areas to generate baskets for others. All while he showed his typical defensive tenacity and toughness on the Kings’ three-headed attack within their backcourt.
All in all, Holiday finished with 33 points on 14-for-23 shooting (3-for-5 from downtown), 11 assists, seven rebounds, two turnovers, a steal and a block each in over 37 minutes for the night. And the Bucks certainly needed every last contribution from the guard to eke out this one and continue their win streak.
The Bucks will have a couple of days off before continuing their road trip out west when they visit the Golden State Warriors Tuesday night at the Chase Center. You’ll be able to catch the action on Bally Sports Wisconsin when it tips off at 9 p.m. CST.