NBA News Wire
Kings 116, Bucks 102
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
MILWAUKEE — Sacramento guard Isaiah Thomas was ejected late in the game but scored 25 points to lead the Kings to a 116-102 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night.
Thomas got the boot after drawing a pair of technical fouls while tied up with Bucks forward Khris Middleton with 4:19 left but was 9-for-16 from the field to lead a Sacramento offense that shot 52.4 percent for the game.
Center DeMarcus Cousins finished with 21 and forward Rudy Gay added 22 for the Kings.
After putting forth one of their best collective efforts of the season in a 114-88 rout of Utah earlier in the week, the Bucks started out hot, hitting 10 of 17 shots in the first quarter.
Sacramento used an 11-2 run to create some separation and went ahead 44-35 on Thomas’ layup with 5:47 left in the half and coasted out of the break, going ahead by 22 heading into the final quarter.
Milwaukee forward Giannis Antetokounmpo opened the fourth with a 3-pointer, sparking a 9-2 run but the Bucks missed on four straight possessions and while Sacramento’s shots were not falling during that stretch, the Kings scored from the line and Thomas made it a 20-point game with a pull-up jumper at the 7:50 mark.
Point guard Brandon Knight scored 25 points and had six assists for the Bucks, who have lost three of the last four.
Forward Jeff Adrien finished with 15 and five rebounds four.
NOTES: Entering Wednesday’s games, Sacramento was the only team in the NBA with three players averaging 20 points or more. C DeMarcus Cousins led the Kings at 22.3 points per game. F Rudy Gay was averaging 20.7, and G Isaiah Thomas was contributing 20.6. … Milwaukee’s last two victories were by an average of 23 points, but the Bucks are the only team in the NBA without consecutive victories this season. … Wednesday marked the first game of a seven-game, 12-day road trip for the Kings. Sacramento began the night 8-20 on the road. The Kings face the Raptors in Toronto on Friday. … The Bucks play the Pelicans in New Orleans on Friday.
