Milwaukee vs. Dallas: Bucks Tame Mavericks For 41st Victory

With a commanding 122-107 road victory over the Dallas Mavericks, the Milwaukee Bucks are now 41-13 this year and have won 12 of their last 13 games. They’re not just winning, they are completely dismantling their opponents this season. Even when the Mavs cut the Bucks once 22-point lead down to 8, it never felt like they lost control. Milwaukee won by 15 points even though Dallas tied a franchise-record with 22 three-pointers. Here are three Bucks who stood out last night in a balanced effort.

The game really is that easy for Giannis Antetokounmpo.

He was toying with the Mavericks defense all night and jumped on them early with a flurry of quick buckets in the paint. He went on to completely dominate in the paint throughout the game as he normally does. The All-Star captain poured in 29 points, 17 rebounds, and 5 assists while knocking down 13-of-19 shots from the floor. He airmailed his first three-point attempt, but confidently came right back down the floor on the next possession to stroke home a trifecta. I love the fact that instead of shutting down, he cooly let another one fly, even though it was contested. It was just another day at the office for Giannis, he just makes it look so damn easy out there. He’s an alpha.

Brook Lopez dominated down low.

Even though he only made 2-of-6 threes, he still finished with 20 points and 6 rebounds on 8-of-14 shooting. He was bullying defenders all the way to the basket, and the Mavs had no one who can stop him. Brook has been setting the NBA world up in flames from deep this season, but let’s not forget that he was one of the more dominant low post scorers in the NBA when he was with the Nets. He has such a great feel for the game, and even broke poor Dwight Powell’s ankles and scored right over him. Poor guy.

Hello, Eric Bledsoe.

The tough point guard finished with 18 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists in 27 minutes. He made 7-of-13 shots and 4-of-7 attempts from deep last night. From the opening tip he came out looking to throttle the Mavericks young backcourt and he continued that mission well into the fourth quarter.

Bonus Bucks

• He didn’t hit a three-pointer, but Malcolm Brogdon still chipped in 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists last night. He was getting to the rim at will, and continually found a tough angle to maneuver around his defender. He’s strong.
• Each member of Milwaukee’s starting five finished with a positive plus-minus.
• Trevon Duval registered his first-ever basket and assist in the NBA. Congrats! In fact, he was the only player (besides Planet Pat) off the Bucks bench to finish with a positive plus-minus :)

• Milwaukee outscored Dallas 80-26 in the paint...wow.
• The Bucks shot 54.3 percent from the field despite only going 27.8 percent from deep.