Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis and Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis went nose-to-nose during a first-quarter confrontation Saturday at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.
Portis apparently took exception to some inadvertent contact from Sabonis on the previous possession. Portis pushed Sabonis in the back while the Kings were bringing the ball up the floor and then got in his face with a crazed look in his eyes.
Kings guards Russell Westbrook and Zach LaVine and forward DeMar DeRozan were quick to come to Sabonis’ aid, stepping between the two players before the situation escalated.
The Kings trailed by 15 when the altercation occurred. They came back to tie the game in the second quarter and prevailed 135-133 after outscoring the Bucks 99-85 over the last three quarters.
“We like that,” Kings point guard Dennis Schroder said when asked about the confrontation between Portis and Sabonis. “At the end of the day, you guys know how I play, and that’s just motivation. I think that brought us more together.
“Russell having Domas’ back right away, making sure he’s right there. I think that shows that we want to become a team and we’re getting there. I was really happy I was on the bench at that time. I couldn’t get on the floor because I would have got a suspension, but Russell had his back, and I think it fueled us.”
Kings coach Doug Christie was pleased to see that kind of fight from his team as the Kings prepare to conclude a four-game road trip against the Denver Nuggets on Monday at Ball Arena.
“For me, I’m about that life,” Christie said. “That’s exactly what I want to see because, ultimately, we don’t find out about each other until it gets rocky anyway. When things are good and sweet and things are going your way … it’s when it gets bumpy. What are we made of? What are we willing to do? They ran in and made sure he was good, so you check that box. You don’t let anybody get up in your face. Check that box. And then you respond. Check that box. So, for them, well done, but that’s one. There will be another one coming when we get to Denver.”
Westbrook vs. Antetokounmpo
LaVine recorded his fifth 30-point game of the season with 31 points, DeRozan had 29, Schroder added 24 and Sabonis recorded a double-double with 24 points, 13 rebounds and six assists, but Westbrook’s contributions were just as important.
Westbrook came off the bench to post 12 points, five rebounds, a season-high 10 assists and two steals. He also took the responsibility of guarding two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo late in the game.
“Russ don’t duck no smoke,” Christie said. “Anything I ask him to do, he’s like, ‘Yup, coach, I got you.’ There was a conversation, hey, can you handle that? ‘Yup, coach, I got you.’ You want to guard Giannis? ‘Yup, coach, I got you.’ Need you to rebound. ‘Yup, coach, I got you.’
“Whatever people say about Russ, I’ve always been a fan, and now I’m even more of a fan because he is a team player. I don’t care what’s been out there. You can say whatever you want. I judge people off of what I see, and ever since he came in our locker room and put on our jersey, he’s about the team and trying to figure out a way for the team to win. … Sign me up. You can be on my team any day.”
Paint points and free throws
Going into the game, the Kings were 27th in the NBA in opponent points in the paint, allowing 58.0 per game. They were 28th in free-throw attempts (20.6) and free-throw percentage (.728).
Against the Bucks, the Kings amassed a 60-50 advantage on points in the paint while going 35 of 40 (.875) at the free-throw line.
“Big difference,” Schroder said. “We’ve got to make sure we get better in those areas. That’s really important. We did it better tonight and we got the W against a hell of a team.”
Sabonis agreed.
“It’s always important,” he said. “Free throws are easy buckets we can get that change the game dramatically, and today we made most of them.”