Mavs vs. Bucks Preview: Can Doncic Settle Score with Antetokounmpo?
The Dallas Mavericks (13-11) take on the Milwaukee Bucks (18-6) on Friday night in what will be the battle of two MVP candidates on three-game win streaks.
The Mavs are coming off a 116-115 win over the Denver Nuggets, which was the first game Dallas has won this season without Luka Doncic scoring at least 30 points. The Bucks are coming off a 126-113 win over the Sacramento Kings in a game where Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday combined for 66 points on 57-percent shooting.
The Mavs lost to the Bucks 124-115 on Nov. 27, but the circumstances were much different that what they'll be on Friday night. Not only was Dallas playing in Milwaukee, but it was also on the second night of a back-to-back and riding a three-game losing streak heading into that one. This time around, the Mavs are working with three days of rest and will be playing at American Airlines Center, where they're 10-3 this season.
“[Giannis is] the best player in the NBA right now," said Doncic after their first battle of the season. "He’s almost impossible to stop. It’s really fun to see him play, but it’s not that fun to go against him.”
After hitting their lowest point of the season in Milwaukee with a four-game skid, the Mavs have since won four out of their last five games. Doncic and Tim Hardaway Jr.'s historic 3-point shooting during that span has injected new confidence into the team, as guys like Dorian Finney-Smith and Maxi Kleber are now starting to climb out of their shooting slumps as well.
The last time these two teams met, Doncic and Antetokounmpo got their numbers per usual, but it was Bucks shooting guard Grayson Allen who made the biggest difference for Milwaukee. In 32 minutes, Allen scored 25 points on 8-10 shooting overall and 7-8 shooting from deep. The Mavs have tightened things up on defense since then, so we'll see if they can keep Allen in check this time around.
The Mavs' best lineup on the floor against the Bucks featured Christian Wood taking Dwight Powell's spot at the center position. Coach Jason Kidd opted to start Wood in the second half of that game, and the Mavs ended up winning the third quarter, 34-31. It was the only quarter Dallas won the entire night.
Wood is coming off arguably his best overall game despite only scoring 14 points against the Nuggets on Tuesday. He finished shooting an efficient 6-7 from the field to go along with six rebounds, two assists, one block and two steals in 27 minutes of action off the bench.
Over his last three games, Wood is averaging 19 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists while shooting 68.8 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from 3-point range. Let's see if he can keep things rolling and help the Mavs secure their fourth straight win.
Here's everything else you need to know about tonight's game:
FUN FACT: Doncic and Antetokounmpo are No. 1 and No. 2 in the league respectively when it comes to points per game. Doncic leads everyone with 32.9 points per game, while Antetokounmpo isn't far behind at 32.1.
After Doncic started the season with the largest usage rate, Antetokounmpo has surpassed him heading into Friday's matchup. Doncic's current usage rate is 36.9 percent and Antetokounmpo's is at 37.9 percent.
RECORDS: Dallas Mavericks (13-11), Milwaukee Bucks (18-6)
WHEN: Friday, December 9, 2022 – 9:00 p.m. CT
WHERE: American Airlines Center (Dallas, TX)
TV: ESPN
RADIO: 97.1 The Freak, 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish)
ODDS: The Mavs are 1-point underdogs to the Bucks.
NEXT UP: The Mavs will catch a flight to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bulls on the second night of a back-to-back before coming back to Dallas for a three-game homestand. After being considered a title contender before the season began, the Bulls currently sit at 12th in the Eastern Conference standings with a 10-14 record. Despite their record, though, the Mavs must not take the high-powered duo of Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan lightly if they want to keep up their winning ways.
FINAL WORD: "I think coming back home playing against Golden State, I think after that game, winning and beating them at home kind of lit a fire under us and let us know we can compete on both ends of the floor," said Tim Hardaway Jr., who is averaging 24.4 points while shooting 51.9 percent from the field and 54.5 percent from deep over his last five games.
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