Bucks at Kings
The Milwaukee Bucks are making a superb sprint in search of a playoff spot and look to record their 10th victory in the past 12 games when they visit the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday. Milwaukee is 3-2 on a six-game Western Conference swing and resides in seventh place in the East, 1 1/2 games clear of the ninth-place Detroit Pistons.
The Bucks recorded a hard-fought 93-90 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday and continued a trend of sturdy defensive by holding the opponent under 100 points for the seventh time in the past 10 games. "This team is very dangerous. They can score a lot of points in a hurry," Milwaukee coach Jason Kidd said of the showing against Portland. "For us to try to focus on taking the 3 out of the game and make them make tough 2s, I thought they executed the game plan well." The Kings have dropped 10 of their past 12 games but shooting guard Buddy Hield said he and his teammates aren't about to call it a season. "We're not backing down," Hield told reporters. "We're in this league, too. No one is going to feel sorry for us. We've got to keep getting better and keep growing."
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee), CSN California (Sacramento)
ABOUT THE BUCKS (35-35): Shooting guard Khris Middleton continued his stellar play with 26 points against Portland and he has scored in double digits in 12 consecutive games. Middleton suffered a ruptured hamstring prior to the season and didn't play until Feb. 8 but he is making a difference for a team that lost power forward Jabari Parker (knee) on the same night in which Middleton played in his first game. All-Star small forward Giannis Antetokounmpo registered 22 points and eight rebounds against the Trail Blazers but is just 12-of-35 from the field during the past two games.
ABOUT THE KINGS (27-43): Rookie forward Skal Labissiere had another solid outing with 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting in Sunday's 118-102 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. It was the fourth consecutive double-digit effort for the Kentucky product, who is averaging 17.5 points during the stretch. "It's a great learning experience; it's all about growth right now," Labissiere told reporters. "Whenever I go out there, I try to learn as much as I can for the next game or the next season coming up."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Bucks rolled to a 117-91 victory over the visiting Kings on Nov. 3.
2. Milwaukee PG Matthew Dellavedova is 5-of-21 from the field during the past three games.
3. Sacramento G Tyreke Evans (ankle) and G Arron Afflalo (personal problems) have missed the past two games and their status for Wednesday remains unclear.