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Bucks look to continue rise, keep Kings down

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The Milwaukee Bucks did not come out West merely to win half their games or keep a tiny grasp on a playoff spot.

The Bucks can tighten their postseason grip a bit more a bit more by winning Wednesday night in Sacramento against a team that has no idea what the playoffs are.

The Bucks (35-35) and Kings (27-43) are not merely heading in opposite paths. They are not even in the same vicinity.

Milwaukee has won three of five games on the Western Conference trip, the latest victory a 93-90 decision at Portland on Tuesday. That win added success to a jaunt that already included a victory over the playoff-bound Los Angeles Clippers.

It also solidified the Bucks' spot in the race for the Eastern Conference playoffs. Milwaukee, seventh in the Eastern Conference with 2 1/2 weeks left in the regular season, is a game ahead of eighth-place Miami and 2 1/2 up on ninth-place Detroit.

The Bucks have won nine of 11, and a victory in the second half of a back-to-back would put them above .500 for the first time since Jan. 15.

"We have to remember what got us to this point," guard Jason Terry told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel before the win over Portland. "That's energy, effort, trust and discipline on both ends of the floor."

That energy showed up on defense in the final minutes against Portland. Milwaukee held the Trail Blazers scoreless over the final 3:12 and scored the game's final six points to win a game they led 48-35 at halftime.

Milwaukee also held Portland to 1-for-9 shooting from 3-point distance in the second half. John Henson had eight rebounds and three blocked shots to lead the defensive work.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 22 points and is averaging 18.2 points on the trip for Milwaukee.

The Kings lost 117-91 to Milwaukee on Nov. 5 and are not close to resembling the team they were that night. Two of Sacramento's three starters from that contest (DeMarcus Cousins and Omri Casspi) are gone, and usual starter Rudy Gay hasn't played since Jan. 18 because of a season-ending torn Achilles tendon.

Sacramento fell twice on a brief Midwestern jaunt and has won only three times in 13 tries since the All-Star break. The Kings were assured their 11th consecutive losing season even before a 118-102 loss at San Antonio on Sunday that continued the rebuilding mode that has been in place since Cousins was dealt to New Orleans at the break.

"We're young, but we have to find a way to compete and get back in the flow and execute much stronger and think harder," rookie guard Buddy Hield, the key piece in the Cousins trade, said after the loss. "No one is going to feel sorry for us."

The Kings continue to give significant minutes to Hield, who is averaging 13.7 points in 26.9 minutes in his 13 games, as well as to rookie forwards Skal Labissiere and Georgios Papagiannis.

Labissiere scored in double digits in four straight games and is averaging 17.5 points and 7.3 rebounds in 23 minutes over that stretch. Papagiannis totaled 20 points and 21 rebounds in 46 minutes on the two-game trip.

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