Dallas' Defense Struggles as Mavs Lose Fourth Straight Against Bucks
The Dallas Mavericks lost their fourth-straight game on Sunday, falling to the Milwaukee Bucks on the road, 124-115. The Mavs put up a great effort on the second night of a road back-to-back, but it wasn't enough, as they fell to 9-10 on the season. It's the first time the Mavs have been under .500 since they were 2-3 in October.
Dallas shot and scored the ball at a high clip for the entire night, but when their momentum was humming on the offensive end, they just couldn't scrounge together consistent stops on defense, as Milwaukee got whatever they wanted all game long.
In the first quarter, the Mavericks got off to yet another slow start as the Bucks quickly jumped out to a double-digit lead. Grayson Allen hit five 3-pointer's in the first 12 minutes to give Milwaukee a 41-33 lead at the end of one. Luka Doncic fought to keep Dallas in the game, scoring 13 points of his own. Doncic finished with 27 points, five rebounds, and 12 assists on 10-of-20 shooting from the field.
The Mavericks had a shooting boost from their bench to start the second quarter, as Maxi Kleber and Davis Bertans knocked down three quick hits from downtown. Yet, it wasn't enough to slow down Bucks, who took a 73-62 lead into halftime behind Allen's 22 first-half point om a perfect 7-of-7 from downtown.
Jason Kidd made a change to begin the second half in moving Christian Wood with the starting group, which gave the Mavericks some much-needed energy. Wood went on to score a quick nine points to start the period as Dallas cut Milwaukee's lead to just one before heading into the fourth down 104-96. We'll see if that second-half move carries over to Tuesday for a Mavs' starting lineup change.
In the fourth, the Bucks came out firing as they finally ran away from the Mavericks and coasted to the home victory. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way for Milwaukee with 30 points and 11 rebounds.
Spencer Dinwiddie finished with 22 points on an efficient 8-of-13 from the floor. Christian Wood added 21 points and seven rebounds on 8-of-17 from the field in 32 minutes, his second highest minute total of the season.
In Reggie Bullock's absence, who sat out for rest on Sunday, Kidd called for Tim Hardaway Jr. to get the start. In 21 minutes, THJ finished with just 6 points on a rough 2-of-8 from the floor.
With the loss, Dallas not only drops below .500, but it also drops down to the No. 11 seed in the Western Conference.
The Mavericks will look to bounce back on Tuesday as they host Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors at 6:30pm CT on TNT.
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