Rookie Tyrese Haliburton was sensational in his first trip to his home state as an NBA player, but the Kings were no match for two-time reining MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks.
Antetokounmpo posted a monster double-double, putting up 38 points and 18 rebounds to lead the Bucks to a 128-115 victory over the Kings on Sunday night at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. The Kings held Antetokounmpo to 9-of-19 shooting from the field, but he made 19 of 24 at the free-throw line.
“Part of the game plan was, if he has a layup, let’s wrap him up,” Kings coach Luke Walton said. “He’s supposed to be a 64% free-throw shooter. Unfortunately, tonight he looked like Steve Nash shooting free throws out there.”
Two-time All-Star Khris Middleton had a stellar game as well. Middleton finished with 32 points, eight rebounds, six assists, four steals and two blocked shots for the Bucks (18-13).
Haliburton put on a bit of a show about 90 miles south of his hometown of Oshkosh, Wisconsin. He posted 23 points, eight assists and five rebounds for the Kings (12-18), who have lost seven in a row. Haliburton made 10 of 16 field-goal attempts and 3 of 6 from 3-point range. He also had two steals and a blocked shot.
DaQuan Jeffries had a career-high 18 points and six rebounds after starting in place of Harrison Barnes. De’Aaron Fox had 13 points and 10 assists, but he looked fatigued, making just 5 of 17 from the field. Buddy Hield had another rough night, finishing with 13 points on 3-of-13 shooting from the field and 2-of-10 shooting from 3-point range.
Marvin Bagley III finished with 12 points and six rebounds. The Bucks broke the game open after he went to the bench with his third foul with 7:01 to play in the second quarter, but Walton thought he did a good job defensively against Antetokounmpo.
“I’m honestly just as impressed with his defensive growth as his offensive growth, as far as being able to play coverage and his wall defense,” Walton said. “He had a bad habit of opening up his defensive gate early this season and guys were able to drive by him. Now, he’s got that back pedal down. He’s meeting people at the rim. His switching and containing guards has gotten better.”
Richaun Holmes recorded a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds, but he had a quiet third quarter and did not play in the fourth. Kyle Guy made four of his five shots to finish with a career-high nine points in nine minutes for the Kings.
Status updates
Barnes missed his third game in a row due to a left foot strain. He was ruled out shortly before tipoff after going through a pregame warmup session to test his foot.
Holmes was also a gametime decision, but he was cleared to return after missing the past two games with right knee soreness. Holmes was active and energetic from the start. He had 10 points and 10 rebounds in the opening half, securing his eighth double-double of the season.
Walton said forward Glenn Robinson III was away from the team due to personal reasons, but he did not provide further details.
“He’s not with the team right now for personal matters, which we’ll leave alone,” Walton said. “We will respect his privacy in what’s going on with him and his situation.”
Up next
The Kings will continue their five-game road trip when they visit the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday.
The Nets (20-12) have won six in a row, including a 136-125 victory over the Kings on Feb. 23 in Sacramento. They completed a 5-0 road trip with a 112-108 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday evening at Staples Center.
Former MVP Kevin Durant has missed the past four games with a strained left hamstring, but the Nets have no shortage of firepower. Kyrie Irving is averaging 27.7 points per game. James Harden is averaging 24.4 points, 11.3 assists and 7.2 rebounds.
Harden had 37 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists against the Clippers.
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