\u2014 Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) January 5, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Sacramento Kings vs. Milwaukee Bucks takeaways<\/p>\n The Milwaukee Bucks have had their fair share of problems to begin the regular season, but three-point shooting hasn\u2019t been one of them.<\/p>\n Entering play on Sunday, the Bucks ranked second in three-point field goals (39.8%) and sixth among NBA teams in made triples per game (14.9). A matchup against the Sacramento Kings\u2019 lackluster defense gave Milwaukee an early green light from deep as the Bucks opened up the night by making six of their first 13 attempts (46%) from beyond the arc to take an early double-digit lead.<\/p>\n While Milwaukee\u2019s shooting may have cooled off, it still significantly outpaced Sacramento\u2019s abysmal first-half performance.<\/p>\n The Kings headed into the break trailing by 18 points after shooting just one-of-11 (9%) from three-point range over the first two quarters of play\u2013but it gets worse. Sacramento went six-of-24 (25%) from the field during the second period, allowing the Bucks to outscore them 34-18 in the frame to take a commanding lead.<\/p>\n Zach LaVine provided the Kings with a boost off the bench in his return from a lengthy absence (nine points during the first half), but outside of that and a strong first quarter from Keegan Murray (eight points), Sacramento had no direction on offense, which has been a trend throughout this nightmare season.<\/p>\n Giannis flush through three defenders! pic.twitter.com\/a71MLGILjC<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) January 5, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Milwaukee\u2019s lead would swell into the 20s as play entered the second half, and the game took a turn for the worse in the third quarter when Murray came down awkwardly on his left ankle and had to be helped to the locker room.<\/p>\n An already bleak outlook for the Kings became even more dull upon Murray\u2019s exit, but Sacramento rose from the dead in surprising fashion.<\/p>\n Thanks to the aggressive play of LaVine and Schroder off the bench, the Kings mounted a 27-6 run to trim the deficit to three points with nine minutes to go\u2013but that\u2019s where the brief fun ended for Sacramento.<\/p>\n The Bucks, a desperate team that entered Sunday\u2019s contest on the outside looking in when it comes to the Eastern Conference postseason race, regained its composure by immediately pushing their lead back into double-digits and didn\u2019t look back the rest of the way.<\/p>\n Three-point shooting plagued the Kings on Sunday, finishing a brutal five-of-25 (20%) from downtown en route to a fifth-straight defeat.<\/p>\n Outside of Sacramento\u2019s thrilling run that stretched from the end of the third quarter into the start of the fourth, it was another eye-sore of a performance for a Kings team that continues to look rudderless on both ends of the floor.<\/p>\n At this point, losing games isn\u2019t a bad thing for Sacramento. Following Sunday\u2019s loss, the Kings have the third-best odds of securing the top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft (14%), including a 52 percent chance of landing in the top four.<\/p>\n Of course, there are no guarantees in the draft, but Sacramento needs a young talent with star potential. If they\u2019re going to improve their chances of landing players like Duke\u2019s Cameron Boozer or BYU\u2019s AJ Dybansta, you may see more of the same throughout the final four months of the regular season.<\/p>\n If we have learned one thing about the Sacramento Kings through 36 games, it\u2019s this:<\/p>\n It\u2019s going to be a long road to April.<\/p>\n Zach Is Back<\/p>\n After missing nine games due to a moderate ankle sprain, two-time All-Star guard Zach LaVine was back in uniform for Sacramento on Sunday night.<\/p>\n LaVine, who hadn\u2019t been in action since December 14th, made his return against the Bucks\u2013the team that has been heavily linked to the Kings guard in trade rumors and reports<\/a> ahead of next month\u2019s NBA trade deadline.<\/p>\n In his first game appearance in almost three weeks, LaVine came off the bench on Sunday, marking the first time since January 8, 2024 (while with the Chicago Bulls), that he was not part of the starting lineup.<\/p>\n LaVine scored 20 points (six-of-12 from the field) and passed out four assists over 35 minutes.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel good. It felt good to get back out there,\u201d LaVine said following the game. \u201cI was able to go out there and give effort. I felt fine. I\u2019ll get more of my rhythm back.\u201d<\/p>\n ZACH cuts the lead to four with a SLAM pic.twitter.com\/5Xw0xjYJXm<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) January 5, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Sacramento Kings Injury Updates<\/p>\n Forward Keegan Murray exited Sunday\u2019s game after injuring his ankle and did not return. It\u2019s expected that Murray will undergo imaging to determine the severity of his injury before an update is provided later this week.<\/p>\n Guard Keon Ellis (left thumb) departed Sunday\u2019s game and did not return. An update on Ellis is expected to be shared later this week.<\/p>\n Center Domantas Sabonis, who has been sidelined since November 16th due to a partially torn meniscus in his left knee, will miss at least another 2-3 weeks of action.<\/a><\/p>\n When is the next Sacramento Kings game?<\/p>\n The Sacramento Kings will play their next game in front of a national audience on Tuesday night when they face the Dallas Mavericks on NBC.<\/p>\n In the most recent matchup between the two teams on December 27th, Sacramento defeated the Mavericks 113-107 at Golden 1 Center thanks to 21-point efforts from Keon Ellis and Russell Westbrook.<\/p>\n Be sure to catch all of the Sacramento Kings vs. Dallas Mavericks action right here on Sactown Sports 1140 AM, with pregame coverage beginning at 6:30 PM PT on\u00a0Game Night before an 8:00 pm PT tip-off from downtown Sacramento.<\/p>\n Tuesday, January 6th\u00a0\u2013 vs. Dallas Mavericks \u2013 6:00 PM PT Thank you for reading\u00a0SactownSports.com<\/a>. Follow us on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Google News<\/a>, and subscribe to our\u00a0YouTube<\/a>\u00a0channel.<\/p>\n![\"YouTube](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1767589469_245_hqdefault.jpg\")
\nUpcoming Sacramento Kings schedule for the 2025-26 season<\/p>\n
\nFriday, January 9th\u00a0\u2013 @ Golden State Warriors \u2013 7:00 PM PT
\nSunday, January 11th \u2013 vs. Houston Rockets \u2013 6:00 PM PT
\nMonday, January 12th \u2013 vs. Los Angeles Lakers \u2013 7:00 PM PT
\nWednesday, January 14th \u2013 vs. New York Knicks \u2013 7:00 PM PT<\/p>\n
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