The Dallas Mavericks are playing at home five times in a six-game stretch, but they’re hosting some heavy hitters during this crucial time for their playoff hopes. That includes Saturday’s visit from the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Bucks, who rank among the Eastern Conference’s top six teams, handed the visiting Denver Nuggets their second loss in the last 12 games with a 121-112 decision on Thursday. Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 28-point, 19-rebound effort led Milwaukee while Brook Lopez chipped in 22 points.
The Bucks also got 16 points, nine rebounds and five assists from Kyle Kuzma, the recently acquired forward brought in from Washington in a trade that sent Khris Middleton to the Wizards.
“Getting him involved, because of his vision and ability to go downhill, is just huge for that (starting) unit,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said of Kuzma, adding that his presence helps Milwaukee maintain a scoring edge late into games.
Milwaukee ranks in the lower half of the league in fourth-quarter scoring with an average of 26.0 points, but the Bucks have averaged 28.1 fourth-quarter points since Kuzma arrived nine games ago. The Bucks will look to maintain a healthy scoring attack for all four periods against a Mavericks defense that has endured some ups and downs.
Dallas allows 113.1 points per game, falling just in the lower half of NBA defenses. However, the Mavericks are coming off their first outing in which they held an opponent to fewer than 100 points since Jan. 17 as they beat Charlotte 103-96 Thursday.
Along with his team-high 25 points, Kyrie Irving delivered a pair of steals and a pair of blocks. Dallas also got significant contributions on both ends of the floor and on the glass from Moses Brown.
Brown, helping fill gaps while Dallas deals with a variety of injuries, scored 20 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, made three steals and blocked two shots as his 10-day contract runs low.
“His next game is his last one (with the Mavericks), so hopefully he can step in and play as well as he did (on Thursday),” Dallas coach Jason Kidd said.
The Mavericks need all the interior support they can muster, facing the Milwaukee frontcourt tandem of Antetokounmpo and Lopez with big men Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II all sidelined.
Davis, acquired in the blockbuster trade with Los Angeles that sent superstar guard Luka Doncic to the Lakers, has played in just one game with Dallas. He put up 26 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists in a Feb. 8 defeat of Houston, but left with a left adductor injury.
The Mavericks are 4-3 in the seven games Davis has missed and sit in ninth place in the Western Conference.
As Dallas looks to finish strong and solidify a postseason berth despite its roster flux, Irving steers the ship. He leads the Mavericks at 24.9 points per game and spoke after the Charlotte win of helping the team gain an edge down the stretch.
“A lot of guys are getting used to being in winning situations, so there’s that development aspect that’s needed,” he said. “As peers, we’ve got to hold each other accountable, too.”
