Mavericks at Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks remain the team with the fewest losses in the NBA and don't show any signs of tacking another on the record with wins in four straight and 15 of the last 18. The Bucks will try to push their latest streak to five in a row when they open a two-game homestand by hosting the Dallas Mavericks on Monday.
Milwaukee is built around superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo but is far from a one-man show and got its backcourt into the action on Saturday in a 118-108 triumph at the Orlando Magic. Starting guards Eric Bledsoe and Malcolm Brogdon combined for 48 points on 20-of-25 shooting and heaped praise on each other, with Brogdon telling reporters, "Bled has been terrific. That's really all I can say. Making shots, making big plays, willing to take big shots. We're lethal when he’s playing at that level." The Mavericks are less settled in the backcourt with point guard Dennis Smith Jr. away from the team and have rookie forward Luka Doncic running the offense while trying to fight through a difficult portion of the schedule. Dallas fell at home to the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs before beginning the two-game road trip with a 111-99 setback at Indiana on Saturday.
TV: 2 p.m. ET, FS Southwest (Dallas), FS Wisconsin (Milwaukee)
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (20-25): Doncic did not get off to a great start on the road trip while struggling to eight points on 3-of-14 shooting in 24 minutes before earning his first NBA ejection for kicking a basketball into the stands. Doncic also committed two turnovers and went 0-of-5 from 3-point range as a string of five straight games scoring at least 25 points came to an end. "Indiana's a great defensive team," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle told reporters. They've got a lot of guys that deflect, steal and disrupt. We've just got to be better with our ball security."
ABOUT THE BUCKS (33-12): Bledsoe went 12-of-14 from the floor en route to 30 points on Saturday and is averaging 21 points on 52.6 percent shooting over the last five contests. "When you are 12 of 14 it's hard to argue," Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer told reporters. "He made some threes, he got to the basket, he was aggressive. He did a little bit of everything. He got to the free-throw line on the first play of the game. He is in a really good place; he is playing really well right now and I think he is doing a lot for us defensively. It's great to see him playing so well." Bledsoe got some help on the defensive end Saturday from center Brook Lopez, who blocked six shots in 27 minutes.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Antetokounmpo is 20-of-31 over the last two games and is shooting 58.1 percent from the field on the season.
2. Dallas PF Dirk Nowitzki went scoreless on 0-of-5 shooting Saturday - the third time this month that he failed to make a field goal.
3. The home team took the two meetings last season, with Antetokounmpo recording 27 points and 11 rebounds in the 109-102 victory in Milwaukee.