Mavs Beat Bucks
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MILWAUKEE — Once again, Monta Ellis saved the Mavericks’ day.
A night after forcing overtime with three free throws then putting the Mavs’ ahead for good in a second overtime against the Bulls, Ellis tormented his former team with 10 fourth-quarter points, including a floater at the buzzer that sealed a 107-105 victory over the Bucks Wednesday night at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.
“He waited a little longer than I expected him to wait, but you know what if the ball is in the air when the buzzer goes off they have no chance to come back down,” said Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle. “He just made a phenomenal play. That’s all you can say. They’ll be watching that shot on SportsCenter for the next day and a half.”
Ellis was 6 for 19 through the first three quarters but hit 5 of 7 in the fourth as the Mavericks overcame an eight-point deficit. On Dallas’ four-game road trip, Ellis has averaged 27.3 points per game.
That performance wasn’t surprising to the 13,568 on hand Wednesday; Ellis spent a season and a half in Milwaukee after being dealt by the Golden State Warriors in a trade for center Andrew Bogut.
Ellis has made no secret of his unhappiness while with the Bucks, but left the building without speaking to the media.
“It’s amazing when you put a player with great talent in a
great system, how they can flourish,” said Mavericks Center Tyson Chandler.
“He’s come here and come into a great culture, into a great system, understanding what’s expected of you. You don’t have to do anything outside of that. And you’re able to just show your talent and Monta is one of the more talented guys in our league. And he’s been showing it of late.”
Ellis’ 23 led the Mavericks, who were playing without forward Dirk Nowitzki for the second time on this four-game trip.
Chandler scored 18 points and grabbed 20 rebounds for Dallas, which also got 14 from forward Chandler Parsons, 13 each from forward Al-Farouq Aminu and point guard Jameer Nelson and 10 off the bench from forward Richard Jefferson.
“That’s the kind of team that gives everybody problems because of their quickness, their energy and their skill level,” Carlisle said. “It’ll be another challenging game when we play them this weekend when they come to our place.”
It was another tough loss to Milwaukee, which let one slip away Tuesday night in Cleveland.
“They have to go through it,” Bucks coach Jason Kidd said. “This is the first time they’ve been in this position, playing very good teams and being able to close the door, understanding each possession means something and leads to something. This is a great lesson for us to learn from and get better.”
Milwaukee shot 52.1 percent from the floor and 63.6 percent (7-for-11) from 3-point range. Knight went 8-for-16 from the floor and led Milwaukee with 25 points while forward Khris Middleton hit his first six from the field and finished 21.
“I was able to get a good rhythm early,” Middleton said. “Just playing off teammates and trying to find open ways to get to the foul line or make easy plays.”
Knight hit five of his first nine shots and scored 14 points in the first half as the Bucks shot 64 percent from the field and led 64-57 at halftime.
Dallas used a 10-0 run early in the third to take a 69-68 lead and went ahead by four on a 3-pointer by Nelson. The Bucks scored just 14 points in the third quarter and trailed by a bucket heading into the fourth.
