The Milwaukee Bucks look to extend their win streak to three games as they host the Sacramento Kings on Saturday night to close out a three-game homestand.
The Bucks have been clicking at home as of late, winning three of their last four games. Milwaukee is coming off a 94-90 win over the Bulls on Friday night thanks to double-doubles from Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Bobby Portis.
Antetokounmpo paced the Bucks with 30 points and 12 rebounds on 11-of-23 shooting. Middleton added 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Portis finished with 12 points and 13 rebounds of his own to help lift Milwaukee over the team that entered the night as the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
It was not the prettiest of offensive performances, as the Bucks shot 38.6 percent from the field and a season-low 19.4 percent from 3-point range.
“Sometimes you got to find a way to win the ugly games, and I think credit to Chicago, the defensive effort they’re putting out there,” Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said. “Very proud of the guys for them to find a way to win tonight.”
Brook Lopez has still not made his return to action due to a back injury, and he will miss Saturday’s game as he rehabs from surgery.
Jrue Holiday made his return to the rotation on Wednesday after an ankle injury sidelined him for six games. Although the 6-foot-3 guard is on a minutes restriction, he has averaged 11 points, 4.5 rebounds and three assists over the past two games.
The Kings are coming off a 133-131 loss to the Pistons on Wednesday in which they surrendered an 11-0 run to close the game that included a Cory Joseph go-ahead jumper with 25.9 seconds remaining.
“I don’t think there’s a whole lot to say,” interim head coach Alvin Gentry said. “We had the game under control up 10 with two and a half minutes to go. You have to find a way to not really even score any more points, but you got to find a way to have stops, and we didn’t come up with stops.”
Terence Davis made seven 3-pointers to record a career-high 35 points on 11-of-23 shooting. De’Aaron Fox added 27 points, six rebounds and eight assists, and Harrison Barnes posted 20 points. Marvin Bagley contributed 17 points, and Davion Mitchell had 13 off the bench.
Sacramento has now lost seven of its last nine and is 3-7 in its last 10 games against Eastern Conference opponents. In the month of January, the Kings have allowed an average of 115.7 points per game.
Tyrese Haliburton could return on Saturday after clearing health and safety protocol on Friday morning. The 6-foot-5 guard is averaging 13.7 points and 7.1 assists this season.
Haliburton has been just one of the numerous key contributors in Sacramento’s backcourt this season. Fox is averaging 21 points on the season and has averaged 23.7 over his last 10 games, and Buddy Hield is averaging 15.3 points primarily off the bench while shooting 38.3 percent from 3-point range.
