Mavericks at Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are one of the NBA's youngest teams, but they are learning to win close games - and that will come in handy this postseason. The Bucks look for their seventh win in eight games Sunday when they host the Dallas Mavericks, who are still seeking a win on their five-game road trip.
Milwaukee's 6-1 stretch over the last two weeks has featured four wins by three points, including Friday's overtime victory over Detroit. Khris Middleton hit a big 3-pointer in overtime and finished with 25 points, while Thon Maker added a rookie season-high 23 points as the team rallied from 10 points down in the final five minutes of regulation before prevailing in the extra session. "I think it just shows where the team is at mentally and physically," coach Jason Kidd said. "Being down and maybe not playing our best there, (we) still believed we could find a way to win." The Mavericks are 0-2 on their trip and have lost four in a row overall as playoff elimination nears.
TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, FSN Southwest (Dallas), FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee)
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (31-44): Dallas is on the verge of playoff elimination, but the team can still climb out of last place in the Southwest Division, as New Orleans sits 1 1/2 games up with the regular season winding down. Dirk Nowitzki struggled with his shooting for the third time in the last four games, shooting 3-of-17 against Memphis in Friday's nine-point loss in which the team trailed by 21 at halftime. "It shows we have some fight, but we have to show more fight from the beginning of games," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said in reference to the closing minutes. "It's just a matter of force."
ABOUT THE BUCKS (40-36): Milwaukee is one game up on Atlanta for the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference as the team eyes its third playoff berth in five years. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way with 28 points, 14 rebounds, nine assists and two blocks versus Detroit and has scored at least 20 points in seven consecutive games with three double-doubles over that stretch. Middleton is 7-of-10 from 3-point range in the last two games and Maker made a career-high four 3s his last time out.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Prior to his big game against Detroit, Maker hadn't scored more than four points in any of his previous six games.
2. Milwaukee G Malcolm Brogdon, one of the favorites for Rookie of the Year, missed Friday's game with back soreness but likely will suit up Sunday.
3. Dallas F Harrison Barnes has surpassed his season scoring average (19.4) only twice in the last eight games.