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Preview: Kings (11-14) vs. Bucks (13-13)

For the first time ever, Sleep Train Arena will be full of ugly sweaters.

As the Milwaukee Bucks come to town, fans are encouraged to sport their favorite or least-favorite − your preference − holiday get-up in support of Ugly Sweater night.

Sacramento will look to rebound from its four-game skid against a surprising Bucks squad. For the first time in ten games, DeMarcus Cousins could suit up for the home team as he makes his return from an illness. DMC is averaging 23.5 points and 12.6 rebounds per game this season.

Projected Starters

Broadcasts: TV – CSNCA
Comcast - 34 / 721
Dish - 445 / 9515
Dish Hopper – 412-33
DirecTV - 698-1
AT&T - 768 / 1768
Radio – KHTK Sports 1140 AM

2013-14 Head-to-Head

Rudy’s Poster Dunk Epitomizes Strong Season

Despite some hardships through the first 25 games this season, the Kings have seen their fair share of successes. That includes Rudy Gay’s strong start.

No. 8 is currently second on team in scoring and has scored 20 or more points in eight of the last ten games. Showcasing an ability to score in a variety of ways, Gay is averaging 21.2 ppg in 23 games. His effort has not gone unnoticed.

“He’s been great,” said Head Coach Ty Corbin. “We’ve asked him to do so much on both ends of the floor, even on the offensive end by rebounding more and making the assist to generate plays for other guys, along with carrying the scoring load for us. On the defensive end, he’s had to guard some of the top scorers, so it’s been a lot of responsibility for him, but he’s handled it well.”

Thunder center Serge Ibaka got a first-hand look at Rudy thanks to his “Rudiculous” poster dunk just before halftime.

“That was great,” said Thompson. “It definitely gave us a spark and it got the crowd involved too.

“It’s definitely one of the better dunks I’ve seen all year, but it’s still early in the season. Hopefully we will all have some good ones on the highlight tape at the end of the season.”

Just like his dunk, Gay has risen above the competition to throw down highlight-reel material. Gay finished the game with a team-high 22 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 block. Corbin hopes to see continued success from Gay and will look to get him involved in a variety of ways.

“We need to get spacing for him, we have to create some diversion so when he catches it everyone’s not looking to [slow him down] as we try to change the speed and speed things up,” said Corbin. “We’ll look to give him room to operate on both the perimeter and when he posts up.”

Breaking Down the Bucks

Losing one of the most-productive rookies from this year’s Draft class isn’t easy to overcome. While making a move in the open court against the Phoenix Suns, Jabari Parker's season came to an end earlier this week. The team’s second-leading scorer endured a season-ending knee (ACL) injury during the third quarter of Milwaukee’s game on Monday leaving his team short-handed.

As the Bucks' first-round draft pick before and the second player chosen overall, Parker was averaging 12.5 points − second among rookies − and 5.6 rebounds per game − third − to help the Bucks stay close to .500 this season.

With Parker, Milwaukee (13-13) posted two impressive wins over quality teams, with a 111-106 victory Saturday against the Los Angeles Clippers and a buzzer-beating 96-94 victory on Monday over Phoenix.

The Bucks shot a season-best 56.6-percent from the floor versus LAC and limited Chris Paul and Blake Griffin to just 10 points each. Two nights later Brandon Knight led six players in double figures and Khris Middleton banked-in a 3-pointer at the buzzer against the Suns.

The game-winning shot from Middleton brings Milwaukee within two victories of last season's win total. The Bucks, who are currently on a four-game road trip, are 2-2 on the road against the West this season after going 1-14 in 2013-14.

The last time Milwaukee and Sacramento met in the River City, the Kings jumped on the Bucks for a 39-16 lead after the first quarter. The purple and black then scored 31 points in the second quarter to earn a season-high 70 points in the first half and a 26-point advantage. The Kings coasted to victory, 124-107, on March 23.

The Kings hold a 30-26 lead over the Bucks in the Sacramento era.

Injury Update

Bucks:

  • John Henson (left foot sprain) is out.
  • Ersan Ilyasova (nasal fracture) is out.
  • Damien Inglis (right ankle) is out.
  • Johnny O’Bryant (right knee sprain) is questionable.
  • Jabari Parker (left ACL tear) is out.
  • Giannis Antetokounmpo (ankle sprain) is questionable.

Kings:

  • Rudy Gay (right achilles tendinitis) is probable.
  • Reggie Evans (left knee and hip contusion) is questionable.
  • Omri Casspi (left knee bone contusion) is doubtful.
  • DeMarcus Cousins (viral meningitis) is questionable.