Milwaukee, WI

Bucks vs. Kings: Dame Time Strikes in Milwaukee

Published

2 years ago

January 15, 2024

Bucks vs. Kings: Dame Time Strikes in Milwaukee

Man, oh man. What a night. In a raucous finish, Dame Time struck in the dying embers of the game, as Damian Lillard’s buzzer-beating three secured a 143-142 victory for the Milwaukee Bucks over the Sacramento Kings.

Game Summary

Sacramento has a fun offense, and it was on display to kick things off in this one. Led by De’Aaron Fox’s 12 points, Sacramento carried a 37-32 lead into the second quarter. Bobby Portis led with 11 points off the bench for Milwaukee.

The Bucks would turn on the jets and outscore Sacramento in the second quarter, allowing them to hold a 68-66 lead at the break. Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 14 points served as the team high while De’Aaron Fox matched him with 14 of his own on the other side.

Thanks to the hot shooting from Malik Beasley, the Bucks protected their lead throughout the third quarter. Beasley served as the team’s leading scorer through three frames, and helped Milwaukee own a 95-91 advantage going into the final period of regulation.

It was an absolute gritty clash in the fourth, with both teams exchanging blows left and right. It was chippy too, as Mike Brown went absolutely nuclear and got tossed from the game. In the final seconds of the quarter, Giannis would get some free throws to put Milwaukee up three. However, he missed the second, allowing Sacramento to race down and get a basket from De’Aaron Fox, tying the game and sending it to OT.

Overtime was a wild rollercoaster. It seemed as if the Bucks should’ve both won and lost three times. A Kevin Huerter three gave the Kings a lead, which was then followed up by a Malik Monk jumper. Brook Lopez buried an insane 3-pointer in the corner to pull Milwaukee within one. De’Aaron Fox then split a pair of free throws, opening the door up for Dame Time — and the rest is history.

Lillard’s 29 points on the night were a team high for the Bucks. Giannis secured another triple-double with a 27/10/10 stat line. Malik Beasley (23) and Bobby Portis (23) each passed the 20-point plateau as well.

For the Kings, De’Aaron Fox poured in a game-high 32 points. Malik Monk came off the bench with 28 points and Kevin Huerter was big with 26 of his own. Domantas Sabonis also had 21.

What Did We Learn?

We learned how amazing Dame Time is. Wow. What a game. Here was my vantage point from press row:

The best part of this is Brook Lopez. Just absolutely speechless. As for his Dame Time celebration? He told us that he breaks it out when it’s necessary and that last night, it was necessary.

Here are more of the reactions:

Malik Beasley’s perspective on Dame’s buzzer-beater: “I was in the corner, just in case, ready to go. And I saw him slow down, actually with five seconds to go, so I was like…okay, this is definitely Dame Time. And it was Dame Time. And the rest is history.”
— Gabe Stoltz (@Stoltzy3) January 15, 2024

Giannis conversational postgames are always the best. He spoke for nearly over 15 minutes last night. This was some fun banter between us and him:

Giannis asked us if we agreed that Dame’s shot tonight was the best buzzer-beater in his (Giannis’) Bucks career.
We mentioned Khris Middleton’s shot against Miami. Giannis said that was a clean shot.
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“Khris gonna be mad about it,” he joked.
Fun postgame energy tonight.
— Gabe Stoltz (@Stoltzy3) January 15, 2024

And as for his actual reaction to Dame’s shot?

Giannis on Damian Lillard’s game-winning shot: “When I saw the ball in the air, I was like, this shit is going in.”
— Gabe Stoltz (@Stoltzy3) January 15, 2024
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And when I said that the vibes were great in the locker room, they were. At one point, Thanasis called me over to show me a video of a Cowboys fan breaking his TV. Just amazing.

Three Observations

Malik Beasley was a force.

Malik Beasley absolutely brought it. He was lethal from beyond the 3-point arc, going 5-of-9 from deep. When folks think about the Bucks offense, they immediately go to Giannis, Dame, and Khris Middleton — for good reason. But man, Beasley can bring it too, especially with that beautiful 3-point shot. All in all, Beasley contributed with 23 points on 7-of-12 shooting. It was big for the Bucks tonight, and it’ll remain big for them a few months from now.

Giannis keeps doing Giannis things.

As he typically is, Antetokounmpo was big down the stretch. It took a little bit for him to get going, but he was big in keeping things close in the fourth. Ultimately, he finished with another triple-double, his fifth on the year. Three of his five triple-doubles have come in his eight games so far this month. Additionally, he hit some big free throws late. Yes, he missed one, but he did go 9-of-14 from the line.

This offense is so much fun to watch.

Milwaukee scored 143 points in this win. They continue to absolutely cook on that side of the ball. It’s the sixth time this season they’ve scored 140+ points. Their six games scoring 140 points this season are now tied for the most in a season in franchise history (2018-19). Also, four Bucks scored 20+ points last night, marking the first time this season they’ve had four 20-point scorers in the same game. Milwaukee has now had at least three 20-point scorers in each of its last three games. The offense continues to hum along.

Bonus Bucks Bits

Those Kings jerseys are so cold. Talk about knocking a re-brand out of the park. Just so beautiful.
This was really awesome to see:

Zaida Smith was a winner of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Speech Contest for her age group. At halftime, she gave her powerful speech.
After she was done, Brook Lopez, Giannis, and Cam Payne all congratulated her. pic.twitter.com/gndTqi1XbX
— Gabe Stoltz (@Stoltzy3) January 15, 2024

That Mike Brown ejection was absolutely wild…and his postgame presser was just as wild:

Mike Brown lights into the refereeing tonight in the Kings loss in Milwaukee. Brings out a laptop in his press conference to show film of the non-foul and foul that has him ticked off. Here is the five minute soundbite. pic.twitter.com/Q8InpkFh8B
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) January 15, 2024
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Lillard’s game winner was also the 2,500th 3-point make of his career and his second career game-winner. It was the Bucks’ first game winner at the buzzer since Giannis’ against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 4, 2017.
Last, Dame’s shot wasn’t the only great shot of the night. What a capture by the Bucks’ content team:

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Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee judge calls out marijuana odor in courthouse

Published

4 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Milwaukee judge calls out marijuana odor in courthouse

A Milwaukee County judge on Thursday, Feb. 26, criticized the smell of marijuana inside the courthouse during a sentencing hearing, calling it inappropriate and illegal as visitors described the odor as common.

Posted February 26, 2026 9:30pm CST

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Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee Bucks sign Cormac Ryan to two-way contract

Published

17 hours ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

Milwaukee Bucks sign Cormac Ryan to two-way contract

The Milwaukee Bucks signed guard Cormac Ryan to a two-way contract for the remainder of the regular season.
Ryan will be ineligible to play for the Bucks during the postseason.
Ryan averaged 20.4 points per game for the G League’s Wisconsin Herd, shooting 42.3% from three-point range.

The Milwaukee Bucks rewarded Cormac Ryan for his strong G League season with the Wisconsin Herd by signing him to a two-way contract. That will allow Ryan, 27, the chance to finish out the regular season with the Bucks. He would be ineligible for postseason play, however.

Ryan joins former Dominican High School star Alex Antetokounmpo and Pete Nance on two-way deals. The Bucks now have a completely full roster, with 15 guaranteed contracts as well.

Ryan was originally signed by the team in the summer, when he played in five summer league games, before inking a training camp contract. He appeared in two preseason games.

Ryan then played 29 games with the Herd and shot 42.3% from behind the 3-point line to average 20.4 points per game. He shot 48.9% from the field overall.

Ryan, a 6-foot-5 guard, played at Stanford (2018-19), Notre Dame (2020-23) and North Carolina (2023-24) before going undrafted. He averaged 10.4 points per game in college on 35.2% 3-point shooting. He made 40.7% of his 3-pointers in 2021-22 at Notre Dame.

He initially signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Ryan did not make it out of training camp in 2024 but signed to the Thunder’s G League affiliate.

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Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee Bucks injury report: Is Giannis playing tonight vs. Cavs?

Published

2 days ago

February 25, 2026

Press Room

Milwaukee Bucks injury report: Is Giannis playing tonight vs. Cavs?

The Milwaukee Bucks have an opportunity to steal a victory from one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, they host the tired and diminished Cleveland Cavaliers tonight at Fiserv Forum.

Cleveland (37-22), in contention for a top three seed, beat the New York Knicks on Feb. 24 in Ohio. After flying into Milwaukee after the game, the Cavaliers ruled out MVP candidate Donovan Mitchell and reigning defensive player of the year Evan Mobley. All-star James Harden is questionable to play.

One player who will suit up for Cleveland is point guard Dennis Schröder, who was acquired at the deadline from Sacramento. The 32-year-old is often a thorn in the side of the Bucks, and he scored 24 points in a Kings victory over the Bucks early in the season.

The Bucks are also playing on the second night of a back-to-back, though they slept in their own beds after beating Miami at home. They have won seven of their last nine games.

Milwaukee (25-31) remains out of the postseason picture entirely, however, sitting in 11th place in the East.

The Bucks have beaten teams with winning records in consecutive games only twice this season, with wins over Golden State and New York (Oct. 28-30) and Orlando and Oklahoma City (Feb. 11-12).

And, the Bucks also have struggled against teams that do not have their stars. They lost twice to Denver without all-stars Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray (and even more starters), lost to Minnesota without all-stars Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert and even Portland without starters Jrue Holiday and Shaedon Sharpe. They also lost to Philadelphia twice without Joel Embiid and Paul George on a minute limit.

Is Giannis playing?

No.

Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is still ramping up in his rehab from a Jan. 23 soleus strain in his right calf, which he self-diagnosed as a four- to six-week injury. Antetokounmpo has done “live” practice work with teammates and coaches after the team returned home from New Orleans beginning on Feb. 21.

Before the game against Miami, Bucks coach Doc Rivers said Antetokounmpo has not gone five-on-five but does not need to. Rivers also added the two-time MVP has not suffered any setbacks with the injury.

What is the Bucks record without Giannis?

10-16

Milwaukee is 15-15 when Antetokounmpo plays any number of minutes.

Cavaliers on hot streak since trading for James Harden

Cleveland, which was the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference last year with 64 wins, doubled down its roster heading into this season with the most expensive team in the NBA. But, as the trade deadline approached in early February, the team had fallen short of expectations. So, they began shedding salary and talent, most notably homegrown all-star guard Darius Garland.

They shipped the injured 26-year-old to the Los Angeles Clippers for 36-year-old all-star guard James Harden and received an immediate boost, winning five straight and six of seven heading into the game against the Bucks.

But Harden did suffer a fracture in his right (non-shooting) thumb against the Knicks on Feb. 24.

Harden has been solid since arriving in Cleveland, averaging 18.9 points on 48.8% shooting from behind the 3-point line while also averaging 8.0 assists. His presence has rejuvenated all-star center Jarrett Allen, who has averaged 20.4 points on 76.7% shooting since the point guard’s arrival. Before Harden joining the team, Allen averaged 13.9 points on 60% shooting in his first 40 games.

Taurean Prince, out (neck surgery)
Giannis Antetokounmpo, out (right calf strain)

Milwaukee Bucks probable starters

Guards: Kevin Porter Jr., Ryan Rollins, AJ Green
Forward: Kyle Kuzma
Center: Myles Turner

Cavaliers injury report

Max Strus, out (left foot surgery)
Donovan Mitchell, out (right groin strain)
Evan Mobley, out (left calf injury management)
James Harden, questionable (right thumb fracture)

What time is the Bucks game?

Tip-off is schedule for 7 p.m. CT.

What channel is the Bucks game on?

The game will be simulcast locally on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin and WMLW The M with Lisa Byington, Marques Johnson and Melanie Ricks on the call.