Fresh off of securing the top seed in the Eastern Conference, the Milwaukee Bucks will face the Dallas Mavericks in their fifth game in the NBA bubble. It will be a match up of premier dynamic duos in the NBA. Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton will face off against Dallas’ Luca Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis.
The Dallas Mavericks have lost three out of the four games they have played since the restart. They have a 41-30 record and sit at seventh in the West. While they have secured a playoff spot already, they are looking to improve their standing and first-round matchup.
The Bucks, on the other hand, do not need to improve their seeding. However, they will be looking to even the season series. Back on December 16, the Mavericks ended the Bucks’ 18-game winning-streak. The victory took place in Milwaukee in a 120-116 offensive explosion. Giannis had 48 points and 14 rebounds in the loss.
In addition to evening the season series, the Bucks will look to be a more consistent team throughout the contest. The Bucks are 2-2 since returning to play. They defeated the Miami Heat in their last contest 130-116. However, they trailed for much of the game until a 20-0 run put the game out of reach late in the fourth quarter.
Come playoff time, it is imperative for the Bucks to be able to play complete games, playing good basketball from beginning to end. This is something that has not happened in the bubble so far. The next four games should be viewed as primers for the playoffs, which will determine how well they will play when it counts.
Notes
- Luca Doncic is averaging 32.8 points, 11 rebounds, and 9.8 assists since the restart.
- Giannis and Middleton each had 33 points in the win against Miami, a very balanced offensive attack.
- Seth Curry is listed as questionable for the Mavericks with a sore leg.
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