One player returned from the injured list while another went down with a new injury in another disheartening loss for the Sacramento Kings.
Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo put up 35 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 115-98 victory over the Kings before an announced crowd of 15,892 on Sunday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
LaVine returned after missing the past nine games with a left ankle sprain, but Keegan Murray was lost after suffering a left ankle injury of his own late in the third quarter. Kings coach Doug Christie did not have an update on Murray’s condition immediately after the game.
“I don’t know yet, so it’s not even for me to speculate,” Christie said. “Obviously, we’ll get everything and you guys will know as soon as we do.”
Keon Ellis logged only five minutes in the first half, but he left the game with a left thumb injury and did not return. Domantas Sabonis is still out with a partially torn meniscus in his left knee.
Christie got emotional when asked about all the injuries his team has dealt with this season.
“It’s hard, man,” Christie said. “You feel for your kids, first and foremost. It’s just difficult.”
Kevin Porter Jr. had 25 points and 10 assists for the Bucks (16-20), who have won four of their last five games. Myles Turner scored 15 points. Gary Trent Jr. came off the bench to score 13.
Russell Westbrook scored 21 points to lead the Kings (8-28), who have lost five in a row and 15 of 18. The Kings have lost their last five games by an average of 24.6 points per game. They have the second-worst record in the Western Conference and the third-worst record in the NBA.
Zach LaVine, who came off the bench for the first time in 55 games since coming to Sacramento in the De’Aaron Fox trade, scored 20 points. Dennis Schroder had 13 points and five assists.
Murray scored 12 points before leaving the game with 4:01 to play in the third quarter. Murray rolled the ankle when he landed on Turner’s foot after having a driving layup attempt. A short time later, the Kings announced Murray would not return.
Halftime report
The Kings took an early lead after the Bucks went 2 of 8 from the field and 0 of 4 from 3-point range to start the game, but it wasn’t long before the shots started to fall for Milwaukee. The Bucks knocked down their next four 3-point attempts while opening up a seven-point lead.
LaVine entered the game for the first time with 5:31 to play in the opening period. He looked good in his first stint, scoring nine points in 12 minutes while going 3 of 4 from the field, 1 of 2 from 3-point range and 2 of 2 at the free-throw line.
LaVine hit a 3-pointer and a driving layup as part of the 7-0 run as the Kings came back to tie the game. They trailed 28-26 at the end of the first quarter.
The Bucks took an 11-point lead after outscoring the Kings 9-0 to start the second period. They stretched the lead to 15 on dunk by Antetokounmpo and went up by as many as 20 before taking a 62-44 lead into the halftime break.
The Bucks shot 48.9% in the opening half while holding the Kings to 39.1%. The Bucks hit just 6 of 20 (.300) from 3-point range, but the Kings went 1 of 12 (.083).
Second-half summary
Milwaukee went up by 26 early in the second half. Sacramento was trailing by 25 when Murray went down with the ankle injury late in the third quarter.
That’s when the Kings came alive. They closed out the third period with an 11-3 run and outscored the Bucks 12-0 to start the fourth, storming back to cut the deficit to four on a dunk by LaVine with 9:43 to play.
The Kings got within three on a hook shot by Drew Eubanks, but Antetokounmpo and Porter came up with a series of big baskets as the Bucks staged a 18-3 run to push the lead back to 18.
Standing ovation for Westbrook
Westbrook received a standing ovation from much of the crowd during a first-quarter timeout when he was honored for his latest career milestone.
Westbrook passed Oscar Robertson for 15th on the NBA’s career scoring list during Friday’s loss to the Phoenix Suns. Westbrook is now the NBA’s all-time leading scorer at the point guard position.
Up next
The Kings will conclude a brief two-game homestand when they play host to the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday at Golden 1 Center.
The Mavericks (13-23) snapped a four-game losing streak with a 110-104 victory over the Houston Rockets on Saturday in Dallas. Their losing streak included a 113-107 loss to the Kings on Dec. 27 in Dallas.
The Mavericks are led by 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis and rookie forward Cooper Flagg, the No. 1 pick in June’s NBA draft. Davis, who has appeared in 18 games, is averaging 20.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, 1.7 blocks and 1.2 steals. Flagg averages 18.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists.