Bucks knock off Kings in OT thriller

DAMIAN Lillard capped a frantic finish with a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1.6 seconds remaining in overtime as the Milwaukee Bucks found a way to outlast the visiting Sacramento Kings 143-142 on Sunday night.

De’Aaron Fox led all scorers with 32 points and sent the game to overtime with a buzzer-beating layup in regulation, then contributed three hoops to a 13-9 run that gave the visitors a 141-137 lead with just 33.9 seconds to go.

The Kings appeared to clinch the win when Lillard misfired on a 3-pointer 4.7 seconds later, but Malik Monk then missed two free throws, allowing a Brook Lopez 3-pointer to get the hosts within 141-140 with 11.5 seconds left.

Fox then missed 1 of 2 free throws with 5.2 seconds to go, enabling Lillard’s 32-footer to be the game-winner.

Recording a third consecutive win and second in two nights, Milwaukee appeared headed to a regulation victory before Giannis Antetokounmpo missed the second of two foul shots with 8.6 seconds remaining, setting the stage for Fox to beat the Bucks to the hoop for his game-tying layup.

Lillard finished with a team-high 29 points to go with eight assists. Antetokounmpo supplied 27 points as part of a triple-double, Malik Beasley had 23 points and Bobby Portis scored 22.

Antetokounmpo’s big night included a team-high-tying 10 rebounds, a team-high 10 assists and a game-high-tying three steals as he played 40 minutes on the second night of a back-to-back. He had made nine of his 13 free-throw attempts until his key miss late in regulation.

Lopez chipped in with 17 points and nine rebounds, and Cameron Payne contributed 15 points for Milwaukee.

Fittingly, the game was lost at the free-throw line by the Kings, who got 12 fewer attempts than the Bucks and were outscored 27-15 at the stripe.

Domantas Sabonis recorded his 10th triple-double of the season for the Kings with 21 points, a game-high 13 rebounds and a game-high 15 assists. Monk had 28 points, Kevin Huerter recorded a double-double with 26 points and 10 rebounds and Harrison Barnes netted 14 points for Sacramento, which fell to 2-2 on its five-game trip.

Four Bucks scored in double figures in the first half as Milwaukee held a narrow 68-66 edge at the break. — Reuters