Khris Middleton Powers Giannis-Less Bucks to Win vs. De'Aaron Fox, Kings

The Milwaukee Bucks won their fifth in row and 14th of their last 15 games by defeating the visiting Sacramento Kings 123-111 at the Fiserv Forum on Monday night.

The Kings kept pace with the Bucks throughout the third quarter before Milwaukee broke it open with an 11-0 run to begin the fourth.

The Bucks were without reigning NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who announced earlier Monday the birth of his first son, and guard George Hill (left hamstring strain). Starting guard Eric Bledsoe and starting forward Khris Middleton compensated by bucketing a game-high 28 points each.

The 21-32 Kings saw their three-game winning streak snapped. They were without center Alex Len, forward Jabari Parker and forward Marvin Bagley III. Len and Parker were acquired from the Atlanta Hawks prior to last Thursday's trade deadline. Bagley, drafted second overall in 2018 by Sacramento, has been out since Jan. 20 with lingering foot issues.

With this result, the NBA-best 46-7 Bucks padded their place atop the Eastern Conference.

Notable Performances

MIL F Khris Middleton: 28 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal

MIL G Eric Bledsoe: 28 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal

MIL C Brook Lopez: 20 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocks

MIL G Sterling Brown: 11 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block

SAC F Harrison Barnes: 23 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal

SAC G De'Aaron Fox: 17 points, 8 rebounds, 11 assists, 1 block

SAC Bogdan Bogdanovic: 16 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block

SAC G Buddy Hield: 15 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal

Bucks Balance Giannis' Absence with Eric Bledsoe and Khris Middleton

Middleton entered this game as the hottest Buck not named Giannis:

The 28-year-old forward continued his hot streak by recording his seventh straight game with at least 20 points, which began with a career-high 51 points in a 151-131 victory over the Washington Wizards on Jan. 28. That victory was also played without Antetokounmpo as he nursed a right shoulder injury.

Middleton also posted his fifth double-double of the season on Monday. The 2012 second-round pick cemented his solid outing with eight fourth-quarter points, five of which came through a dunk in transition and his fourth three-pointer of the evening:

Bledsoe complemented Middleton with his 14th game of at least 20 points. The 30-year-old point guard was two assists and two rebounds short of his first triple-double of the year, too:

Bledsoe spoke about yet another Bucks win after the game:

With Giannis, the Bucks are easily favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference despite the reigning champion Toronto Raptors riding a 15-game winning streak. But this isn't a one-man team, and Milwaukee's supporting cast was impressive in its own right versus the Kings.

Kings Can't Overcome Streaky Shooting

Generally speaking, the Kings are collectively streaky. That was personified Monday night through Barnes and Bogdanovic.

Bogdanovic bucketed 10 of the Kings' 21 fourth-quarter points to finish the outing with 16, but Barnes went scoreless in the fourth quarter and still managed to finish as Sacramento's leading scorer.

Barnes had 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting (including three three-pointers) at halftime, only to sink two threes through the last two quarters. The Kings' hottest shooter went cold at the same time Milwaukee's No. 2-ranked offense found its stride.

In all likelihood, Sacramento needed Hield to duplicate the 31 points on 9-of-10 shooting from three he posted against the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday in order to get the better of the league's best team.

What's Next?

Both teams will return to the floor Wednesday night.

The Bucks will travel to Indiana to take on the Pacers, and the Kings will travel to Dallas to play the Mavericks.