The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly From The Kings' Loss to the Bucks

The good news for the Sacramento Kings going into tonight’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks is that Maxime Raynaud avoided a serious injury, and Zach LaVine is back after missing nine straight. LaVine did not start and took a little while to get going, but he was one of the few bright spots of the game.

After getting annihilated in the first half, the Kings kept pace in the third quarter and even got within three points of Milwaukee. Giannis Antetokounmpo imposed his will after that, and the Kings couldn’t get any closer. Here’s the good, the bad, and the ugly from tonight’s 115-98 loss at home.

The Good

The first note I had in the good column was Zach LaVine getting his try-out for the Bucks and playing well in his first game back. LaVine came off the bench and was Sacramento’s best offensive player by far, but he was competing on defense as well. LaVine finished with 20 points on 50% from the field and made all six of his free throws while looking exactly like the type of player the Bucks could use.

The second half of the game went much better than the first for Sacramento. After looking like they were headed for another blowout loss, the Kings were able to battle back toward the end of the third quarter and got the deficit down to single digits early in the fourth.

An ultra-small lineup of Dennis Schroder, Russell Westbrook, LaVine, Nique Clifford, and Drew Eubanks brought the Kings all the way back, led by LaVine and some really spirited defense from Westbrook. The Kings eventually fizzled out as the Bucks pulled away late, but they were at least able to make it a game.

Nique Clifford also had some nice moments in this game, particularly when he put the ball on the floor. Nique had a couple of buckets in quick succession off the bounce, including a smooth left-handed finish over a couple of Bucks in the third quarter, and was within inches of a poster dunk in the fourth. Nique is getting more comfortable each game and is always engaged on the defensive end. Sacramento has a good piece for the future in Clifford.

The Bad

Jan 2, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Demar Derozan (10) looks on against the Phoenix Suns during the second half at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

As usual, there was a lot of bad from the Kings in this game, but we can start with DeMar DeRozan. DeRozan had a solid start to the game, but the Bucks’ length clearly bothered him throughout the game, and he was uncharacteristically off at the free-throw line as well. The Kings decided to go away from him late in the game when they made their run, and it turned out to be the right decision. DeRozan finished with 11 points on just 4 of 11 from the field in 29 minutes of action.

Westbrook, unfortunately, belongs in this category as well. Despite some solid moments when the Kings made their run, playing through Westbrook hasn’t been fruitful for Sacramento as of late. Too many bad shots, too many turnovers, and a technical after a frustrating missed call were the story of his night. Russ led the Kings with 21 points, but he shot just 5-16 from the field and 1-8 from deep with three turnovers and five fouls.

The Kings’ defense as a whole was rough and easily could’ve been put in the “ugly” category, but some solid play from a few individuals kept it in this section. The Kings could’ve easily been down by more than 18 in the first half had the Bucks made more of their wide-open threes to begin the night, but they looked a bit better as the game went on. Westbrook deserves his flowers for stepping up on that end, but the Kings still have a ton of work to do on that end if they’re going to get back in the win column.

The Ugly

The second quarter was truly the ugliest portion of the game for Sacramento, and it deserves its own paragraph for that reason. The Kings couldn’t get anything going on offense, and the Bucks took advantage by getting out on the break for easy buckets. The Bucks outscored the Kings 34-18 and took complete control of the game before the halftime whistle while the Kings shot just 26% in the quarter.

Just behind the second quarter on the “ugly” scale was Sacramento’s offense, and it’s hard to pick out just a few things because really nothing went well on that side of the ball. The Kings started the game 1-11 from three and had just 9 assists on 18 made baskets in the first half. Sacramento defaults to playing isolation far too often, and it makes it hard to build any sort of rhythm on offense. Things got a bit better in the second half (as was the case with everything), but ending the game 5-25 from three with just 17 assists isn’t going to cut it.

While the second quarter was the ugliest part of the game from a basketball sense, things got even worse in the third as Keegan Murray turned his ankle after landing on Myles Turner’s foot, and Keon Ellis was also injured in this game. Keegan has already missed a ton of time this year, and Ellis was the only plus defender on the roster while he was injured. We should get an update on both by tomorrow, but brace yourselves for some rough defense if they’re going to miss time.

The Good

The Bad

The Ugly

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