Mavericks vs. Bucks Preview
Will Milwaukee go hard after a win against Dallas, or will they rest up?
Quick-Hitters
- The motivation of the Milwaukee Bucks will be a key factor in the remainder of their bubble seeding games. The team has rested starters here and there, as they've locked up the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (29.7 points, 13.7 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game) going up against Kristaps Porzingis (20.0 points and 9.5 rebounds per game) will be a marquee matchup to watch.
- The Dallas Mavericks are looking to improve their defense to go along with a historic offense. CLICK FOR LIVE GAME ODDS!
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Lack Of Motivation?
With the top seed in the Eastern Conference already locked up, the Milwaukee Bucks will be a tough team to wager on for the remainder of the seeding games in the bubble. We saw them play their starters in just the first half of a contest when they were outright upset as 18.5-point favorites against the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday, 119-116.
After trailing by 18 points at halftime to the Miami Heat on Thursday, Milwaukee came roaring back with a 74-43 second half to pull away with a 130-116 victory. Khris Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo each scored 33 points in the win. This shows what the Bucks are capable of when they are interested, but it’s hard to predict their motivation at this point.
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Lagging Wing Defense
The Mavericks most efficient offense in NBA history has helped them overcome some defensive woes. Dallas tops the league in scoring at 115.7 points per 100 possessions, including team offensive efficiency at 113.5. Despite this, the Mavericks are just 18th in the NBA in defensive efficiency, which is not what you would expect from a team that considers itself a playoff contender. The Mavericks don’t force a lot of turnovers and don’t have the athleticism to contain top guards and wing players off the dribble.
This has been evident in the bubble with James Harden (49 points), Devin Booker (30 points), De’Aaron Fox (28 points), and Kawhi Leonard (29 points) all having their way with Dallas. That should be good news for players like Eric Bledsoe and Middleton in this contest.
Clutch Situations
As a young team, the Mavericks have all kinds of troubles in clutch situations this year. The all-time best offensive efficiency numbers drop to 93.9 in clutch situations (within five points in the final five minutes), which is the second-worst mark in the league.
Luka Doncic, the 21-year-old European guard who has taken the NBA by storm in his second season, has shot just 15.8 percent from three-point land in the clutch and his offensive rating fall by a whopping 22.0 points. Dallas has lost 23 games in clutch situations this season, which is a massive total.
The Mavericks struggles in the clutch have already shown up in the Orlando bubble. In their opening game, Dallas blew a seven-point lead with just 45 seconds remaining and lost to the Houston Rockets in overtime, 153-149. After losing another close game to the Phoenix Suns, the Mavericks earned seven stops in a row in regulation to force overtime and eventually beat the Sacramento Kings. They'll look to build off that performance when they play the Bucks on Saturday.
