The clock has struck midnight in Sacramento. Just one night after winning a thriller against the defending champion Golden State Warriors, the Kings were decimated by the Milwaukee Bucks 112-87.
The game started off promising as Sacramento jumped to an early lead, but ended the first quarter down by six. From that moment on, it was all Milwaukee.
Giannis Antetokounmpo jumped all over the Kings from tip-off. He ended the game with 32 points, five rebounds, and five assists. The Bucks’ newest member Eric Bledsoe added 21 points.
This loss was reminiscent of the Atlanta Hawks’ 46-point beating of the Kings on Nov. 15 and not like Sacramento’s higher level of play over the last two weeks. Sacramento had won three of its last six and been competitive in all.
This game feels like a step back, but this sort of performance is to be expected in the first year of the Kings’ new era. A team full of young talent and new veteran faces is likely to suffer several more tough losses like this one over the course of the season.
Garrett Temple was the leading scorer for Sacramento with 18 points while Willie Cauely-Stein added 10 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. The Kings fall to 6-15 and travel to Chicago on Friday to face-off with the 3-16 Bulls.
