Kings at Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks snapped a three-game slide with a big win on Monday behind 20 points and 13 rebounds from Greg Monroe. The Bucks will need another big performance from the center spot when they host DeMarcus Cousins and the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday.
Cousins put up 30 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks at Charlotte on Monday but was off the floor at crunch time due to back tightness and watched as the Kings suffered a 127-122 loss in overtime. “I’m honestly not sure when it happened,” Cousins told reporters. “As the game went on, it got worse and worse. It started going to the lower part of my body, so I couldn’t really move. I tried to play through it.” Monroe had some extra motivation while going up against his former team (Detroit) and used it to reach the 20-point plateau for the fifth time this season. The Bucks averaged 90.7 points during their three-game slide but shot 51.8 percent on Monday in a 109-88 triumph.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, CSN California (Sacramento), FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee)
ABOUT THE KINGS (5-10): Sacramento looked as though it had the game in hand on Monday while holding a 22-point lead, but turnovers and an inability to generate stops on the defensive end allowed Charlotte back in the game. “I think we’re trying to establish an identity,” guard Darren Collison told the Sacramento Bee. “It’s just not a good feeling right now that we were able to go back and revert to our old ways, especially at the most important part of the game.” Cousins is day-to-day with the back ailment, and the Kings are 0-5 this season when the star center sits.
ABOUT THE BUCKS (6-8): Milwaukee was not happy with its performance on the three-game road trip and put in a little extra work prior to Monday’s return home. “This morning’s shootaround was a little bit longer than normal,” Bucks coach Jason Kidd told reporters. “The guys, you give them the credit, they responded. I think we all knew that we didn’t play well on the trip and we didn’t end the trip on the right note. Those guys in that locker room get a lot of credit.” Wednesday marks the conclusion of the brief two-game homestand before another stretch with four of five on the road.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Bucks took both meetings last season by a total of nine points.
2. Sacramento PG Rajon Rondo handed out 20 assists on Monday and is averaging 14.1 over the last nine games.
3. Milwaukee F Jabari Parker scored in double figures in each of his last four games.