Bucks at Kings
THE STORY: The Sacramento Kings usually find it hard enough to win basketball games, so the last thing they need is a distraction. The Kings play their third game in as many nights when they host the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday. To complicate matters, only DeMarcus Cousins knows what his mindset will be. After Cousins demanded to be traded last week, he sat out Sunday’s 96-80 victory over New Orleans. Cousins didn’t start in Tuesday’s 113-96 loss at Memphis or Wednesday’s 110-83 setback at Denver, but he may be ready to play ball after he scored 18 of his 26 points in the final 16:39 against Denver. The Bucks have lost the first two contests of a five-game road trip, including an 85-73 decision at Utah on Tuesday. They are 0-3 on the road this season. Milwaukee is having trouble scoring (90.8 points per game) and keeping its best players on the court.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, FS Wisconsin (Milwaukee), CS California (Sacramento)
ABOUT THE BUCKS (2-3): Guard Mike Dunleavy has missed the last two games with a groin injury and the flu and center Andrew Bogut didn’t play Tuesday because of personal reasons. Both are questionable for Thursday's contest. Guard Beno Udrih sprained his left shoulder Monday and is listed as day-to-day. Drew Gooden made his first start of the season Tuesday and had 24 points and 12 rebounds. Milwaukee has won three straight at Sacramento.
ABOUT THE KINGS (2-5): If Sacramento decides to shop Cousins, there is interest. New Jersey and Boston are among the teams taking a look at the 2010-11 All-Rookie Team selection. Sacramento concludes a two-game homestand against Orlando on Sunday before embarking on a five-game road trip covering seven days. After the Orlando game, the Kings will play 18 of their next 24 on the road. Guard Marcus Thornton leads Sacramento in scoring at 18.3 points.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Milwaukee was second in the NBA in forced turnovers at 19.2 through Tuesday's games.
2. The road team is 10-1 against the spread in the last 11 meetings.