Giannis Antetokounmpo led six Milwaukee scorers in double-figure scoring with 29 points and the Bucks cruised to a 132-117 road win over the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday.
Milwaukee trailed 57-50 with 4:50 remaining before halftime, but Gary Trent Jr.’s 3-pointer off an Antetokounmpo assist began a 21-6 Bucks run to send the visitors into the locker room up 71-63.
Trent scored 13 of his 20 points coming off the bench in the first half.
Milwaukee’s burst to close out the second quarter carried over into the third when the Bucks went on another 10-2 over the first 2:41 of the second half.
The undermanned Mavericks could not keep pace as Milwaukee’s advantage swelled to as many as 23 points. Behind Kyrie Irving’s game-high 31 points, Dallas cut into the deficit down the stretch in the fourth quarter but could not get any closer than 12 points.
The Mavericks remained thin in the frontcourt with Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford all sidelined. Moses Brown, playing in the last game of his 10-day contract, nearly posted his second double-double in as many contests, going for 18 points and nine rebounds.
Brown shot 8 of 9 from the floor. Jaden Hardy, who came off the Mavericks bench for 16 points, went 6-for-10 from the floor.
Dallas shot 43 of 91 from the field as a team, not far off Milwaukee’s 44-of-87 shooting. However, the Bucks went 31 of 35 at the free-throw line to the Mavericks’ 20-of-25 showing.
Milwaukee also hit two more 3-pointers, going 13 of 39 to Dallas’ 11 of 40. Trent and Damian Lillard each went 4-for-12 from long range to pace the Bucks.
Lillard finished with 28 points, six rebounds and six assists. Brook Lopez added 13 points, Kevin Porter Jr. scored 11 points off the bench and Kyle Kuzma chipped in 10.
Antetokounmpo flirted with a triple-double, complementing his team scoring high with nine rebounds and nine assists.
–Field Level Media
