Giannis Antetokounmpo had a game-high 37 points in 32 minutes, Kevin Porter Jr. added 25 and the Milwaukee Bucks opened a four-game Western swing with a 115-98 victory over the host Sacramento Kings on Sunday night.
Antetokounmpo hit 13 of 17 shots from the field and 11 of his 13 free throws en route to his 12th performance this season with more points than minutes played.
He also found time for 11 rebounds, completing his 12th double-double of the year.
Russell Westbrook had a team-high 21 points for the Kings, who shot just 1-for-11 on 3-pointers in the first half while falling behind 62-44 at the break.
The margin was still 16 at third quarter’s end before Dennis Schroder and Zach LaVine drilled consecutive 3-pointers, prompting a Milwaukee timeout 50 seconds into the fourth period as the hosts got within 10.
Westbrook, Schroder and LaVine made it a 12-0 run with consecutive two-point hoops after the stoppage, getting Sacramento within 85-81 with 9:43 to play. But Porter stopped the bleeding with a three-point play, then made three free throws after being fouled on a 3-point attempt about one minute later, helping the Bucks pull away.
Porter also finished with a double-double, complementing his 25 points with a game-high 10 assists for the Bucks, who won for the fourth time in their last five games.
Myles Turner chipped in with 15 points, Gary Trent Jr. 13 and Ryan Rollins 12 for the Bucks, who outscored the Kings 30-15 from beyond the arc. All but one of Trent’s points came on four 3-pointers.
Bobby Portis tied Antetokounmpo for game-high rebound honors with 11 to go with nine points.
Westbrook complemented his team-high point total with six rebounds, three assists, four steals and three blocks. The Kings lost despite having 10 of the game’s 14 steals and seven of the nine blocks.
LaVine finished with 20 points, Schroder 13, Keegan Murray 12 and DeMar DeRozan 11 for Sacramento, which was held under 100 points for the sixth time this season en route to its fifth straight defeat.
Schroder also had a team-high five assists for the Kings, while Maxime Raynaud was the hosts’ leading rebounder with eight.
–Field Level Media
