The Bucks looked for their tenth win of the season as they faced the Kings in Sacramento.
The Bucks starters were:
Eric Bledsoe
Tony Snell
Khris Middleton
Giannis Antetkounmpo
John Henson
The Kings starters were:
De’Aaron Fox
George Hill
Zach Randolph
Garrett Temple
Skal Labissiere
Zach Randolph started things off for Sacramento with a short two as the Kings scored the first four points of the game. The Bucks came back a few minutes later, though, and held an 18-15 lead midway through the opening quarter thanks to 11 points from Giannis. From there, the Bucks continued to play great defense and shoot well over 50% to extend their lead to 30-22 with 90 seconds left in the first. The Kings pulled it back a bit to close out the quarter, but the Bucks still led 32-26 after one. Giannis led all scorers with 11 points, followed by Garrett Temple with 9, and Zach Randolph with 6. The Bucks barely outshot the Kings 59%-56% and were outrebounded 11-8, but used 5 steals (compared to Sacramento’s 1) to win the quarter.
Malcolm Brogdon opened the second for the Bucks with a finger roll, and Milwaukee scored the first 5 points of the quarter to make it a 14-4 run. Bogdan Bogdanovic ended the run with a long 2, and followed that up with an alley-oop to Willie Cauley-Stein to make it 37-30 in favor of the Bucks. The Bucks scored the next 5 points, though, to give them a 42-30 lead midway through the second. They eventually made it a 12-0 run, and it wasn’t until there were four minutes left in the half that Zach Randolph ended the run with a long 2. Eric Bledsoe responded with a corner 3 after that, and the Bucks closed out the half strong to earn a big 61-37 lead. Bledsoe led all scorers with 18 points (along with 2 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals), followed by Giannis with 13 (along with 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, and a block), and Khris Middleton with 12. The Bucks outshot the Kings 58%-40% from the field and 46%-33% from distance, outrebounded the Kings 23-19, and held a 15-7 lead in assists and a big 10-2 advantage in steals.
Skal Labissiere began the third for the Kings with a putback of a Zach Randolph midrange miss, and the Kings got to within 19 points two minutes in. Eric Bledsoe and Tony Snell responded with back-to-back threes for the Bucks to deny the comeback, and the Bucks kept making shots to lead 78-46 (!) midway through the third. A pair of Giannis free throws with 5 minutes left then made it a 35-point Bucks lead at 82-47. From there, the Bucks maintained their lead (which was built by Giannis and his 19 third quarter points) to close out the quarter with a 92-59 lead. Giannis led all scorers with 32 points, and he was followed by Bledsoe with 21, and Temple with 18. The Bucks outshot the Kings 60%-36% from the field, 53%-29% from three-point range, and had 20 assists to Sacramento’s 11.
Malcolm Brogdon kicked off the fourth for the Bucks with another finger roll, and the Bucks hit 100 when the Kings only had 70. The Kings kept fighting and kept making baskets, but the Bucks didn’t loosen their grip at all and still led 105-75 at the midway point. The starters didn’t play any of the fourth quarter, but the bench unit kept the Kings at more than arms-length the rest of the way. The Bucks ended up winning the game 112-87 as they outshot the Kings 59%-41% from the field and 41%-30% from range, had 26 assists to Sacramento’s 15, and had 13 steals to Sacramento’s 5. The Kings did outrebound the Bucks 40-38, as the Bucks only recorded a single offensive rebound at the very end of the game.
three big things
Giannis Antetokounmpo – Giannis had his best game in a few weeks, as he finished with 32 points on an efficient 11-16 night from the field, and also tallied 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 steals, and a block in just 26 minutes of action. His 19 third-quarter points were also crucial in building an insurmountable lead and deflating the Kings in the second half. Giannis looked as good as he did in the season’s first few games tonight, and if he didn’t sit the entire fourth quarter he easily could have finished with 40+ points.
Eric Bledsoe – Bledsoe did exactly what he was brought in to do tonight, as he played second fiddle to Giannis perfectly. Bledsoe finished with 21 points on 7-10 shooting (3-4 from the field), and he also added 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals in 23 minutes of action. This was one of his best games so far in a Bucks uniform, and the Bucks will win a lot more down the road if he and Giannis can keep complementing each other like they did tonight.
Steals – The Bucks built their lead early on with defense, and steals were a huge part of that. Milwaukee had 5 assists in each of the first two quarters, and each steal seemed to spark a big basket in the second quarter as they really built their lead. Giannis and Bledsoe combined for 8 of the team’s 13 steals, so they really led the team both offensively and defensively tonight. The Bucks are built for a steal-happy defense, and when it works out it’s a joy to behold.
plus/minus hero
Tony Snell – Every Bucks starter was over +20 tonight, but Snell was the only one above +30 at +32. He had a very efficient, Snell-like night with 9 points on 3-3 from the field and 2-2 from distance, and he also grabbed 2 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal, and a block in 30 minutes of action. While Snell usually steps back to Giannis, Bledsoe, and Middleton, Bucks fans should not forget how lucky we are to have him.
Well, that was fun. The Bucks are back in action on Thursday night in Portland. Tune in at 9:00 PM CT then to see if they can go to 11-9!