The Dallas Mavericks gave the defending-champion Milwaukee Bucks a tough battle but fell short, losing 102-95 at the American Airlines Center.
The Mavericks were playing without seven players, including all-star Luka Doncic, who have all entered COVID protocols in recent days. The team has signed several temporary replacement players to make up its roster in their place. The Bucks were also without their all-star player and two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo but still featured all-Stars Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday.
Dallas looked likely for an inevitable loss due to fielding a team consisting of mostly replacement players. Theo Pinson, Marquese Chriss, Brandon Knight, Carlik Jones, and George King were all signed within the last five days and combined for 59 minutes of action. Chriss played particularly well, scoring 13 points and bringing down five rebounds.
Despite the barely recognizable faces on the court, the Mavericks managed to lead for most of the game. Unfortunately, the team appeared to run out of gas in the fourth quarter.
All five of the Dallas starters scored in double-digits. Jalen Brunson led the team with 19 points; Frank Ntilikina added 14, Dorian Finney-Smith and Dwight Powell scored 12 each, and Sterling Brown finished with 10 points.
Along with Doncic, the team was without Tim Hardaway Jr., Maxi Kleber, Reggie Bullock, Josh Green, and Trey Burke due to COVID protocols. Two assistant coaches are also away from the team, and just before game time, recently signed replacement player JaQuori McLaughlin joined the COVID list.
To make matters worse, the team’s second all-star caliber player, Kristaps Porzingis, missed his second consecutive game with a foot injury. Porzingis was injured in Sunday’s loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Dallas weathered the storm early and looked in control of the game. Over the last seven minutes of the first quarter, the Bucks failed to score a single point. The Mavericks Theo Pinson, who just joined the team on Sunday, made three three-pointers as the team held a 23-15 lead after the first quarter.
They held the Bucks scoreless on 13 shots over the last 7 minutes and 23 seconds of the first quarter and led 23-15 after the first period. Theo Pinson, who joined the team Sunday, rotated as the sixth man and tallied three three-pointers.
Dallas opened up a lead of ten points in the second quarter, their largest lead all game. However, the Bucks began to find their offensive rhythm and narrowed the Mavericks lead to 43-41 at halftime.
Dallas opened up a nine-point lead in the third quarter before Milwaukee went on a 10-0 run. The Bucks would finish the third period on a 17-7 run to lead 75-74 at the start of the fourth quarter.
Dallas went cold in the fourth quarter to let Milwaukee steal a road win. The Mavericks made just 8-of-21 (38.1%) shot attempts in the fourth quarter, including just 3-of-11 (27.3%) three-pointers. The Bucks improved to 21-13 this season with the win.
The loss drops the Mavericks to 15-16 this season. Dallas will likely rely on mostly replacement players again in their next game. They are scheduled to go on the road and play the Utah Jazz in the nightcap of Christmas day NBA action.
