Hoping to have a third comeback win, the Milwaukee Bucks just couldn’t seem to get it going in a match up against the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. The Bucks hosted the Mavericks at Fiserv Forum, and while all the usual players were back in the lineup, Luka Doncic and the Mavericks dominated in their 118-112 victory.
Not having Antetokoumnpo, Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton playing on Friday, the hopes were having them back on Sunday would be the push to bring another win under Milwaukee’s belt. Out of the gate, Milwaukee had shot 8-of-14 distance, but held a mere 33-25 after the first quarter. As the second quarter approached, the Mavericks quickly caught on to Milwaukee’s tactics; Dallas then was taking hold of the game and led 57-55 at the half.
For the Mavericks, key player Luka Doncic had 32 points, seven rebounds, and dished out 15 assists. Doncic continues to show why he should be in the MVP conversation with Giannis, Joel Embiid of the 76er’s, and Nikola Jokic of the Nuggets. While the Bucks had the lead 91-90 in the fourth, Doncic didn’t let Milwaukee have that for too long. He ended up scoring five points and met up with Dorian Finney-Smith to connect for a three-point shot. Doncic then had another triple to continue Dallas’ lead and eventual victory.
Antetokoumnpo shot 12-for-22, missing three attempts from distance. Jrue Holiday tacked on 20 points, nine assists, and two rebounds. Khris Middleton had a disappointing 11 points, nine assists, and four rebounds.
Additionally, Brook Lopez added 14 points in 22 minutes of play, including a late three-pointer that brought the Bucks 106-101 with a little more than five minutes remaining. A foul by Holiday on Doncic would give Dallas a couple of free-throws; Milwaukee wasn’t able to capitalize on anything else for the remainder of the game.
Jrue Holiday gave kudos to Dallas and their amazing ball-movement.
“There was a lot of shots that usually take and make. Dallas does a good job of packing the paint and making it frustrating. Crowding, double teaming, throwing a lot of different things at them…It’s not like it’s something that doesn’t happen or occur very often.”
The Milwaukee Bucks have four regular season games remaining before the playoffs push. They’ll face the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night starting at 7:00 P.M. CST.
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