By Shawn Whelchel

The All-Star break couldn’t have come sooner for the struggling Sacramento Kings, who ended the first half of the season by dropping 13 of their last 15 games after suffering a 111-103 loss against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night.

The 13-game skid sends coach Tyrone Corbin out on a poor note, as the team reportedly agreed to terms with George Karl to become the new head coach of the team when the second half of the season resumes on February 20th against the Boston Celtics.

Milwaukee was led by guard Brandon Knight, who is arguably having an All-Star caliber season despite being left off of the East’s roster. Knight led the Bucks with 20 points, 6 rebounds and five assists on the night. O.J Mayo provided some pop off the bench for Milwaukee by dumping in 21 points in 25 minutes as well.

The Kings received a strong effort from DeMarcus Cousins, who will be making an appearance in New York’s All-Star game, as the big man posted an impressive stat line 28 points and 19 rebounds in the losing effort. Cousins was followed by Rudy Gay, who had 17 points and 8 rebounds on the night.

The Kings will hope that Karl’s veteran coaching presence will be able to revive the struggling team, who currently sit 13th in the Western division, ahead of only the Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves with an 18-34 record.

Karl is currently the sixth most winning coach in NBA history. CSN Bay Area reported that the deal is rumored to be anywhere between $4 million and $5 million dollars per year.