Middleton’s late free throws help Bucks close out Kings

BUCkS 133, kINgS 127

MILWAUKEE — One night after overcoming a defensive struggle to beat the Chicago Bulls, the Milwaukee Bucks unleashed their offense on the Sacramento Kings.

The end result was the same, with the Bucks claiming a 133-127 victory Saturday night behind the play of veterans Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday. Middleton finished with a game-high 34 points and Holiday added 26 as the Bucks won without Giannis Antetokounmpo, who sat out with right knee soreness.

“We just need to be able to win different type of ballgames,” Middleton said. “Every game is not going to be perfect; every game is not going to be pretty. To get defensive stops, to get 50-50 balls like we did (against the Bulls), it helps. When you hit shots like we did tonight, it also helps.”

Middleton sank a clutch three- pointer with 1: 09 left after the Kings (18-30), who trailed by as many as 15 points, rallied within three points. After Harrison Barnes converted a layup for the Kings, Holiday split the defense and threw down a left-handed dunk to give the Bucks a 126-120 lead with 47.6 seconds remaining.

The Bucks (30-19) closed out the game by sinking 7 of 8 free throws, including 4 of 4 by Middleton.

Holiday pointed to Middleton’s key triple as keeping the Bucks in control of the game.

“I feel like this is what he has been doing,” Holiday said. “He makes timely threes. He makes big shots, especially in that moment when they had momentum. He just came down and laced them, took advantage.”

Donte DiVincenzo added 20 points while George Hill had 17 and Pat Connaughton 15 for Milwaukee. The Bucks made 21 of 42 three-point attempts one night after shooting 19.4% from behind the arc.

Barnes paced Sacramento with 29 points as the Kings shot 52.6% from the floor (51 of 97). Tyrese Haliburton had 24 (including 5 of 8 on threes) and Terence Davis II added 22.

CAVALIERS 94, THUNDER 87

CLEVELAND — Darius Garland collected 23 points and 11 assists and rookie Evan Mobley had 15 points and a season-high 17 rebounds to put Cleveland over Oklahoma City.

Jarrett Allen added 14 points and 13 rebounds for Cleveland, which built a 74-57 lead in the third quarter and never allowed the Thunder to pull closer than six points in the fourth. The Cavaliers have won six of their last seven.

Shai Gilgeous- Alexander paced Oklahoma City across the board with 29 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists. Kenrich Williams scored 12 points and Luguentz Dort had 10 points before being ejected for elbowing Kevin Love in the head.

Mobley, the third overall draft pick from USC, has nine double-doubles in 39 pro games. Garland posted his sixth double-double in the last seven games and is averaging 21.0 points and 12.3 assists during that timeframe.

Cleveland lost forward Lauri Markkanen to a sprained right ankle in the second quarter; he was helped to the locker room and did not return.

Dort received a flagrant 2 for striking Love after the whistle on a scramble for a loose ball. Love received a personal foul prior to absorbing the elbow.

The Thunder, who wrapped up a fourgame road trip, have lost five in a row and 10 of their last 11 games. Oklahoma City’s starting frontcourt of Dort, Darius Bazley and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl shot a combined 5 of 25 from the floor.

Cedi Osman had 10 points off the bench for the Cavaliers, who went 18 of 35 from the foul line and missed 21 of 27 three-point attempts.