Field Level Media
Feb 8, 2019
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 29 points and grabbed 17 rebounds to lead the visiting Milwaukee Bucks to a 122-107 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Friday.
Milwaukee's Khris Middleton did not play, nor did Nikola Mirotic, who was acquired from the New Orleans Pelicans at the trade deadline. Mirotic, who still must pass a physical, missed his last seven games with the Pelicans because of a calf strain.
The Bucks didn't need either Middleton or Mirotic in winning their sixth consecutive game. Brook Lopez scored 20 and Eric Bledsoe and Malcolm Brogdon each added 18 points. Milwaukee shot 54.3 percent from the field (51 of 94), including 10 of 36 from beyond the arc.
Rookie Luka Doncic, who recorded the first triple-double of his career against Milwaukee last month, led the Mavericks with 20 points.
Trey Burke, acquired from the New York Knicks as part of the Kristaps Porzingis trade, came off the Dallas bench and went 3-for-5 from 3-point range while scoring 18 points.
The Mavs tied a team record for made 3-pointers, connecting on 22 of 53 attempts. Justin Jackson, acquired from Sacramento, saw his first action since being traded and immediately hit a 3-pointer to tie the mark. He wound up with three points in four minutes.
The Mavs' bench scored 32 third-quarter points to put Dallas in position to come back from a 23-point deficit.
Trailing 83-60 after the Bucks' Bledsoe connected from 25 feet, the Mavericks outscored Milwaukee 18-5 and climbed to within 10 on back-to-back treys from Ryan Broekhoff.
Dirk Nowitzki followed with another 3-pointer and Dallas was within 88-81.
Ersan Ilyasova assisted on a Pat Connaughton layup and then made four consecutive free throws to stem the tide and push Milwaukee toward a 94-86 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Antetokounmpo scored the first five points of the fourth to increase the lead back up to 99-86. But Dallas still had one last spurt left and trailed 104-97 after Doncic's layup with 8:14 left.
Lopez had an answer from 25 feet, and after another Bledsoe 3-pointer, the Bucks were back up by 14 and cruised the rest of the way.
--Field Level Media