Mavericks are still going strong, but “it’s hard” without important players.
The setback against the Milwaukee Bucks will undoubtedly stick in the loss column, even though it won’t have much of an impact in the long term. Mavericks’ lead in the second quarter was cut to 25 points. With a 15-0 skunking in the last two minutes of the first half, the Bucks went on a 38-10 run.
The Mavericks are obviously having trouble right now, and it’s evident that their injuries—especially those to Dereck Lively II, Dante Exum, and Kyrie Irving—are having an impact.
Dončić said, “It’s hard.” “Some excellent players are available. We had, I believe, eight players on the field (against Milwaukee). Man, it’s tough, especially when up against a squad like this. They have exceptional talent. It’s really challenging.
To the point where the Mavericks can’t win the game even if Dončić scores forty points and is denied a triple-double by a rebound.
This is what occurs when Giannis Antetokounmpo finds plenty of opportunities to attack the basket and even makes a few three-pointers. He finishes with 48 points, Damian Lillard adds 30 for the Bucks, and the Mavericks are unable to stay up.
There was the kick after that.
Yes, it was unintentional. However, it still seemed awful at the time. With nowhere to go, the Greek Freak drove the baseline and became flying beneath the hoop. A.J. Green made a three-point shot after he launched a pass to the corner. However, during the pass, his foot pricked Dončić in the abdomen.
Even if it would have been worse if it had been south of the border, it wasn’t a pleasant sight.
Naturally, Luka had already been injured in the first quarter after twisting his right ankle once more. He has been experiencing issues with the same ankle for the most of the season. The good news is that he receives daily therapy for that ankle.
What about the stomach-kick?
“That’s an offensive foul, but it was probably incidental,” Luka stated. “Obviously, I believe it was incidental, but it’s still a foul, right?”
Not tonight. The Mavericks suffered their sixth defeat in their previous eight games, dropping them to eighth position in the Western Conference rankings.
Kleber’s pivotal moment, Green? Player performance for the Mavericks has been uneven from almost everyone who isn’t Luka or Kyrie. Accidents have contributed to the issue. However, Josh Green and Maxi Kleber both had successful games versus the Bucks. Green finished with 20 points and nine rebounds, while Kleber scored 21 points. Maxi performed really well, in my opinion. Kidd stated, “He tried everything he could. Josh also performed admirably, hitting three-pointers with ease. Both of those players were quite good. Everyone must perform at a high standard. Our error margin is really narrow. After missing two months of action due to a dislocated toe, Kidd stated that Kleber “has gotten better each game.” Additionally, being able to make three-pointers and Gigi in the column. He performed an excellent job for us, in my opinion, and we’ll need that going forward.
Throwback: Jae Crowder, a former Maverick draft choice, had an impact against the Mavs after recovering from abdominal surgery earlier in the season. After starting the second half off the bench after being plagued by fouls in the first half, Crowder scored eight points in the third quarter.
