Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo had a huge second half to help the Milwaukee Bucks storm back to beat the Kings 114-108 on Saturday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
Antetokounmpo finished with 32 points and 17 rebounds for Milwaukee. He had 23 points and 11 rebounds in the second half.
“Giannis is an incredible player,” interim Kings coach Doug Christie said. “So he’s going to get calls, he’s going to get downhill, he’s going to do all those things, but we had the game and we had the ability to close it, and we have to be able to do that.”
Brook Lopez scored 21 points for the Bucks (40-30), who overcame a 14-point deficit to win despite the absence of nine-time All-Star and seven-time All-NBA selection Damian Lillard. Kevin Porter Jr. came off the bench to score 18 points.
DeMar DeRozan led a balanced effort with 22 points for the Kings (35-35), who were missing Malik Monk and Domantas Sabonis. Keon Ellis had 20 points, a career-high nine rebounds and six assists. Jonas Valanciunas had 18 points and seven assists.
The Kings will be back in action on Monday when they play host to the Boston Celtics.
Injuries and illness
The Kings were already missing Sabonis, an All-NBA center who is recovering from a right ankle sprain. They got more bad news before the game when Monk was ruled out due to illness.
The Bucks were shorthanded as well with Lillard out due to right calf soreness. Antetokounmpo and Gary Trent Jr. were cleared to play despite dealing with patella tendinopathy.
Halftime report
Sacramento raced out to an early 13-point lead after Milwaukee went 5 of 20 from the field to start the game. The Kings led 25-17 at the end of the first period.
The Bucks got within one 4:21 to play in the second quarter. Three-point plays by Ellis and Zach LaVine helped the Kings carry a 61-49 lead into the halftime break.
The Kings shot 50% from the field while holding the Bucks to 43.5%. Ellis had 18 points on 5-of-7 shooting with five rebounds and four assists.
Second half
Milwaukee cut the deficit to three on a basket by Antetokounmpo with 4:45 to play in the third quarter. The Bucks got within two on a 3-pointer by Kyle Kuzma and tied the game on a dunk by Antetokounmpo.
The Kings led 89-86 going into the fourth quarter. The Bucks tied the game on a 3-pointer by Gary Trent Jr. and took a 100-97 lead on a 3 by Porter with 6:59 to play.
Trent all but sealed Sacramento’s fate when he made a corner 3-pointer to put Milwaukee up 113-108 with 1:01 remaining.
New contract
The converted 24-year-old rookie forward Isaac Jones from a two-way contract to a standard NBA contract on Saturday. Jones, who went undrafted out of Washington State, has appeared in 31 games for Sacramento this season, averaging 3.7 points and 1.5 rebounds in 8.3 minutes per game.
Up next
The Kings beat the top team in the Eastern Conference when they knocked off the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday. They will face the No. 2 team in the East when they play host to the Celtics on Monday.
The Celtics (51-19) have won four in a row going into Sunday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers. They will come to Sacramento on the second night of a back-to-back. Boston is 7-4 in back-to-back situations this season.