Battered and bruised in Milwaukee, the Sacramento Kings return home after a long 10-day road trip with their heads held high. Despite the 144-109 loss to the Bucks, the Kings finished the eastern swing with a record of 3-1 and currently sit at 6-4 on the season.
It wasn’t pretty, but there are always items to pull out of a game, even with a lopsided score.
Here are six notes as the Kings return to Sacramento for a four-game homestand.
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SIGN UP HERE Giannis Antetokounmpo is really good
For years, LeBron James has been the one player in the league that is almost impossible to stop. 23-year-old Giannis Antetokounmpo is ready to join King James in that category.
No player in the league has Antetokounmpo’s unique combination of size, athleticism and coordination. He isn’t a knockdown shooter from long range yet, but he has just about every other skill mastered and it’s fun to watch.
Against the Kings, the Greek Freak posted 26 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists in 30 minutes and his dunk over Kosta Koufos was nasty.
NBA
Another streak snapped
The Kings’ five-game win streak wasn’t the only things snapped Sunday afternoon. Shooting guard Buddy Hield had strung together five straight games with 20 points or more leading into the Bucks game. He finished the evening with 19 points on 8-of-15 shooting, but played a total of 24 minutes with the game completely out of control.
Finding new heights
De’Aaron Fox is finding his stride in year two and drawing praise from around the league. During the team’s win over the Hawks, he posted a triple-double and to get the final two rebounds, he had to go way up in a crowd to grab the board.
In the loss to Milwaukee, Fox seemed to realize that his leaping ability can be an asset in other aspects of the game outside of going to the rim on the offensive end. He finished with 15 points, six rebounds and six assists, but like Hield, he sat out the fourth quarter in a blowout loss.
Fox is a super athlete at the point and if he finds a way to attack all aspects of the game like Antetokounmpo, the Kings might have a star on their hands.
Justin Jackson scores
The second-year forward has been all over the board with his production early in the season. After failing to register double-figure scoring in five straight games and seven of the Kings’ first nine, Jackson had a career night in Milwaukee.
Jackson finished the game with career-best 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field and 4-of-7 from behind the arc. He dished out one assist and failed to grab a rebound in 24 minutes of action, but he was confident with his shot from the opening quarter.
With Bogdan Bogdanovic scheduled to return later this week, minutes are going to get tight at the small forward spot.
Bad night for the bigs
Both Willie Cauley-Stein and Nemanja Bjelica have been huge for the Kings through the early portion of the schedule, but they struggled against the Bucks. Cauley-Stein drew the assignment of guarding Antetokounmpo early in the game and picked up four fouls before the intermission. Bjelica fumbled two balls out of bounds early and looked out of sorts.
The duo combined to score 10 points, grab eight rebounds and dish out two assists in 39 total minutes. It was a forgettable game for both bigs.
Troy Williams is intriguing
Sacramento decided to bring newly signed two-way player, Troy Williams, with them on the road and it paid off. The defensive-mind wing scored 11 points on 3-of-3 shooting from behind the 3-point line and added three rebounds in 15 minutes. Williams, 23, brings length, energy and defensive intensity that the Kings need at the small forward spot.