Mavs Lose To Bucks
The Dallas Mavericks were defeated by the Milwaukee Bucks 118-111 Friday night at the American Airlines Center. With the loss, Dallas drops to a 0-3 record in the 2019-20 preseason while the Bucks move to 3-0 in the preseason.
Milwaukee used a 15-1 run at the end of the first quarter and stretching into the second quarter to jump out to an early 39-24 lead. Luka Dončić used three made 3-point field goals to go on a 9-2 run at the end of the first half, cutting Milwaukee’s 13-point lead to only 6 entering the intermission.
The Mavericks used a 31-11 run in the third period to turn an 11-point deficit (66-55) into a nine-point advantage (86-77). Dallas outscored Charlotte 33-24 in the third frame and took four-point lead (86-82) into the fourth. Over the final 7 minutes of the game, the Mavericks went on an 18-3 run to cut the deficit to two before the Bucks were able to secure the win with two made free throws and a made Dragan Bender three-point field goal.
Mavericks forward/center Kristaps Porzingis made his home debut with the Mavericks and finished with 11 points and 5 rebounds.
Mavericks center Boban Marjanović finished with 16 points and a team-high 8 rebounds in 16 minutes. Marjanović also led the Mavericks in +/- rating at +11. Forward Justin Jackson went 5-9 from the field, including 8 consecutive points in the fourth quarter, and finished with 13 points to go with 2 rebounds and 2 assists.
Five players scored between 11 and 16 points for Dallas in the game: Boban Marjanović (16), Justin Jackson (13), Jalen Brunson (12), Kristaps Porzingis (11), and Tim Hardaway Jr. (10).
Bucks forward and reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with a double-double that included a game-high 34 points in the Bucks’ win. He added 11 rebounds to go with 4 assists on 13-20 shooting. The Bucks had three players score double digits off the bench: Ersan Ilyasova (18), Dragan Bender (17), and Donte DiVencenzo (14).
