Antetokounmpo sits, but Bledsoe and Middleton take down Kings

MILWAUKEE — The Kings again demonstrated how far they have come in recent weeks, but the Milwaukee Bucks continue to prove why they have the best record in the NBA.

Khris Middleton had 28 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists to help the Bucks beat the Kings 123111 on Monday night at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. Eric Bledsoe posted 28 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for the Bucks (46-7), who won despite the absence of reigning NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Harrison Barnes scored a team-high 23 points for the Kings (21-32), who had won six of their last eight games. De’Aaron Fox had 17 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds.

The Kings started slowly and trailed 38-24 at the end of the first quarter. The Bucks shot 51.6% from the field and knocked down 5 of 12 from 3-point range in the opening period while the Kings missed eight of their first nine from beyond the arc.

Sacramento closed the gap early in the second quarter and continued to battle back. The Kings got within five on a 3-pointer by Barnes, cut the deficit to three on a 3-pointer by Hield and carried a 58-57 lead into the halftime break.

The third quarter featured six ties and six lead changes. The Kings led 90-88 at the end of the third, but the Bucks took control after starting the fourth quarter with a 12-0 run.

Milwaukee shot 44.8% from the field and 42.9% from 3-point range. Sacramento was held to 41.6-percent shooting from the field and 32.6-percent shooting from beyond the arc.

Antetokounmpo was unavailable for the Bucks after welcoming his first child into the world earlier in the day. Antetokounmpo shared the news on Twitter, posting a photo of his newborn son.

“He’s being a good father,” Kings coach Luke Walton said. “It’s most important to be a good father, so I’m proud of him for making that decision.”

The Kings held Antetokounmpo to 13 points in a 127-106 loss to the Bucks on Jan. 10 in Sacramento. Walton noted that Khris Middleton and Eric Bledsoe combined for 51 points in that contest. Walton also pointed out the Bucks scored 151 points in a win over the Washington Wizards without Antetokounmpo on Jan. 28.

“Middleton went for 51 and Bledsoe had 30-something, and those are the two guys who crushed us last time we played Milwaukee,” Walton said.

Walton said center Richaun Holmes did not accompany the team to Milwaukee and will not join the Kings in Dallas on Wednesday. Holmes has missed the past 16 games with a shoulder injury. Walton said Holmes will not return until after the All-Star break.

Holmes is averaging career highs of 13.1 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots during a breakout season with the Kings. He has not played since injuring his shoulder against the Golden State Warriors on Jan. 6.

Jabari Parker could be getting close to making his Kings debut, but he didn’t get to play against his former team Monday night in Milwaukee.

Parker is recovering from a right shoulder impingement that caused him to miss 20 of his last 21 games with the Atlanta Hawks. Walton explained that Parker hasn’t had much time to practice with the team since the Kings acquired him on the eve of the trade deadline.

“He really wants to play and I love that,” Walton said. “It’s unfortunate. He got traded to us, we had a back-to-back, he’s coming off injuries and then we flew across the country, so he was in the gym again this morning playing 2-on-2. We’ll get a practice day in Dallas and see how that goes and maybe get him out there in that Dallas game.”

Barnes was one of 44 players named as finalists for the 2020 U.S. Olympic team on Monday. The official 12-man roster will be unveiled later this year.

Barnes won an Olympic gold medal with Team USA in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. Now in his eighth NBA season, he is averaging 14.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists for the Kings. He is shooting 45% from the field and 35.5% from 3-point range.

Rajon Rondo delivers his best game of the season as Lakers beat Suns

LOS ANGELES — If the Phoenix Suns had any notion that the 15-point deficit they faced against the Los Angeles Lakers heading into the fourth quarter was manageable, one man proved them wrong.

Naturally, it was Rajon Rondo. Rondo delivered a season-high 23 points in a 125-100 win over the Suns on Monday night at Staples Center. He made nine of 12 shots and four of five three-pointers. All of his points came after the first quarter.

It was a sloppy night for the Lakers, who committed 16 turnovers, eight of them charged to LeBron James, who finished with 17 points, nine assists and eight rebounds.

Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.

Coach Frank Vogel, who said there were no major injury issues heading into this game, played a nine-man rotation most of the night. Neither Alex Caruso, Quinn Cook, Troy Daniels nor Jared Dudley played until 4:48 remained in the game and the Lakers had a 23-point lead.

They struggled to stop the Suns in the first quarter, the Suns taking advantage of their open looks to shoot 58.8% and five of nine on threes. The Lakers, meanwhile, made only three of 10 threes and led by just one.

During the second quarter the Lakers were able to put some distance between themselves and Phoenix. That's when Rondo began his scoring spree. He scored 15 points during that period, making all six shots he took, including three three-pointers.

The Suns shot just 36.8% in the third quarter and made only two of eight threes as the Lakers broke it open.

With 10:55 left in the game, the Suns' Kelly Oubre Jr. swiped at Kyle Kuzma, causing the ball to jump out of Kuzma's hands. But then it tumbled into the basket somehow, leading Rondo, who had passed Kuzma the ball, to chuckle at their good fortune.