Mavericks' Road Matchup Against Bucks Unfortunately Delayed by NBA

The Dallas Mavericks were supposed to face the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday evening, which would've been the second night of a back-to-back for the Mavs. They blew a 15-point lead to Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers late on Saturday night, as they decided not to move that game up despite the ice storm that swept through the Dallas area.

Usually, on the second night of a back-to-back where the team has to travel cities, they fly out almost immediately after the first game. But that ice storm forced the team to stay in Dallas overnight while planning to fly out Sunday morning. As of 2 p.m. CST, they were still stranded on the tarmac in Dallas for a game that was supposed to be played at 6.

Word started trickling out that the NBA was planning to delay the game around 2:30 p.m. CST, and it should now be played on February 19th, per Brad Townsend. It would've been delayed sooner, but the NBA was trying to figure out if it was best to reschedule it for Monday or after the All-Star Break, and the latter is where they seem to be leaning, as it seems the Mavericks won't be able to make it out of Dallas today.

Mavs will not play the Bucks tonight. No announcement from the NBA, but it appears the make-up date for Mavs at Bucks will be Feb. 19 or, if details can be worked out, a quick makeup date on Monday. The latter, however, would assume the Mavs can get out of Dallas later today.
— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) January 25, 2026

Here was the full announcement by the NBA, saying there is no official make-up date yet.

The following has been released by the NBA. pic.twitter.com/N3nGndwfcj
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) January 25, 2026

Ramifications of This Mavericks-Bucks Matchup Being Delayed

The game being on February 19th will make it the first night of a back-to-back for both teams, and it's the first game coming out of the All-Star break. After that, the Mavericks will travel to Minnesota, while the Bucks will travel to New Orleans.

It's the correct decision to delay the game, as it didn't make sense to put the team's lives at risk because of an icy runway and still icy conditions in the air. Even if the Mavs could've gotten to Milwaukee today, they wouldn't have their usual pre-game shootaround, and the longer the delay went, the less likely it seemed that they would've made it there by kickoff.

This delay will give both teams a chance to get a little healthier. The Mavericks listed both Cooper Flagg and Klay Thompson as "doubtful" due to injury management for specific injuries, while Max Christie and Brandon Williams were both questionable. Meanwhile, the Bucks have been playing without Giannis Antetokounmpo due to a calf strain. He may still not be back in the lineup by then, but he may also not be a Milwaukee Buck at that point.

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