Bucks blow out Mavericks, 132-117, behind balanced Milwaukee scoring attack

The Milwaukee Bucks came into the American Airlines Center and blew out the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night, 132-117, behind 29 points, nine assists, and nine rebounds from Giannis Antetokounmpo. Though Kyrie Irving played well for Dallas, scoring 31 points, it wasn't enough to overcome their injury problems as they were down Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II, and Daniel Gafford in the loss. Forward PJ Washington also left the game in the third quarter with an ankle issue, causing yet another blow to the Mavericks' frontcourt depth.

In the days since the Luka Doncic trade with the Lakers, things have been rocky in Dallas, and while the Mavericks have won some games, they have also looked out of their depth in other outings against better teams. With fans completely turned against the franchise and injuries piling up, Dallas is on the fringe of being a play-in team with a little over 20 games left to play in 2025.

The only Maverick that played significant minutes that finished with a positive plus-minus was Klay Thompson at +1. Everyone else – from Irving (-11 in 38 minutes) to Max Christie (-13 in 26 minutes) – was in the negative as Dallas looked completely overwhelmed after surrendering 71 first-half points.

The Bucks dominated Dallas in multiple facets, embarrassing them on their home floor. The Mavericks struggled to shoot the ball from distance, finishing just 27.5% from beyond the arc. They were also out-rebounded 58-42, which was a group effort by Milwaukee and not the result of Antetokounmpo's solo domination.

Other top scorers for the Bucks were Damian Lillard with 28 and Gary Trent Jr. with 20. For Dallas, outside of Irving, the top scorer was 10-day signee Moses Brown with 18 points as well as nine boards. Given Dallas' injury situation, as well as the fact that they traded away Luka Doncic for a player that is injured currently, it is no surprise that a better team came in and performed the way they did against a Mavericks squad that seemed to (understandably) lack motivation in this game.

GM Nico Harrison's botched trade job that left Dallas without a top-five player in the NBA on its roster has had its effects, and while Dallas has won more games than it has lost since the swap, there is no doubt about where the Mavericks ceiling is currently. With the playoffs right around the corner, it's hard to feel any kind of positive momentum with this team considering the circumstances. Fans are upset, and the energy inside the American Airlines Center has been nonexistent since the deal.

While the trade was difficult to stomach at the time, it seems that things may only get worse from here on out as the Mavericks stumble through the rest of the 2025 season with no real direction in mind. They are not in a position to tank this season given the success of the first half of the year, so their draft capital is not very valuable at this point. Any hope of landing a Cooper Flagg or Dylan Harper is out the window, and the front office must figure out the next steps to take before fan interest hits and all-time low.

Dallas is back in action on Monday against the Sacramento Kings.

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