The frontcourt tandem of Georgios Papagiannis and Skal Labissiere proved to be a major difference maker in Sacramento’s 69-65 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday.
Labissiere topped all scorers with his 19 points while also pulling down nine rebounds, with Papagiannis dropping 17 points of his own along with a game-high 13 rebounds. Adding onto the impressive numbers, each of these second-year Kings made clutch plays down the stretch.
With just a shade under two minutes remaining in a close contest, Papa G broke a 61-61 tie with a clutch putback jam.
“I love these playoff games. I had to play good for this game and get the best out of me,” said Papagiannis following the win.
Additionally, Labissiere would go on to make the most crucial play of the game.
As the Bucks controlled the ball with under 15 seconds and trailing by two, No. 3 stole an errant pass from Milwaukee ensuring an intentional foul. With that, two free throws by Labissiere ensued that would seal Sactown’s first, and most important, Summer League victory.
Now, the Kings move to the next round of the Summer League Tournament, where they will be matched up against the Dallas Mavericks led by rookie guard Dennis Smith Jr.
Sacramento will square off with Dallas on Thursday at 5:30 pm PDT at the Thomas & Mack Center. Stay tuned to the Kings on Twitter for broadcast information.
