MILWAUKEE – Two of the NBA’s newest dynamic duos hooked up Saturday night and the show did not disappoint.
Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving battled Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo like you’d expect four probable future hall of famers to do.
So, naturally, it was Pat Connaughton who provided the daggers that nobody expected.
While the stars were very much star-worthy, Connaughton nailed a couple of big three-pointers late, including one from the corner with 1:05 to go that put the Bucks up by five points as they escaped with a 132-125 victory over the Mavericks Saturday night at Fiserv Forum.
The Mavericks were up 109-99 with 9 minutes to go but the Bucks went on a 26-8 binge to swing the momentum and the game.
The fourth quarter was not their friend. But it was a remarkable evening in which the four superstars traded punches and gave their teams everything they had.
Luka and Kyrie combined for 74 points. Giannis and Lillard, who was acquired before the season, went off for 67.
But the Bucks, who had recorded a 130-99 win in Charlotte Friday night, had the upper hand in the fourth quarter.
“You can’t give up 43 points in the fourth quarter,” coach Jason Kidd said. “They made timely shots and we didn’t. We put ourselves in a position on the road to win against a very good team and we just came up short.”
And so, the Mavericks (9-4 overall) went 2-2 on this oddly configured trip and will have precious little time to analyze this game with Sunday’s home game against Sacramento fast approaching.
Saturday’s was a game that could have gone either way. Antetokounmpo led everybody with 40 points, to go with 15 rebounds and seven assists. Lillard had 27 points and 12 assists, including the one to Connaughton that iced things.
“Giannis was torching us in the paint,” Dončić said. “I don’t know how many paint points he had, but he had a lot. Obviously, it’s really tough to stop him. But we just gave him the paint a lot.”
The Mavericks countered well with their stars. Irving had a sluggish start offensively, but was unstoppable later, finishing with 39 points. Dončić had 35 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.
“It was actually fun,” Dončić said. “Obviously, not the result, but it was fun. They have a couple guys that are really good and going against each other, it was fun.”
Irving agreed.
“It’s incredibly exciting when you’re going against other stars in the league,” he said. “You want to play your best and play well individually, but you also want to come out with a win and they did that tonight, so you got to give them credit. They made timely shots.
“But when me and Luka have it going like the way we had it tonight, and other guys are filling in, it makes our job easier and we feel better as a team. We did that in spurts, but we just got to continue to build on our consistency. There were some possessions that just weren’t good at all. There was one I took a three in transition, I got a foul and Dame went to the free throw line.”
Games like this are measuring sticks, to some degree. The Mavericks have played well against two elite teams (Denver earlier this month). They haven’t gotten the payoff with victories, but they also had a legitimate shot at pulling off a victory.
“They’re elite,” Kidd said of the Bucks. “They’ve won a championship. I thought the guys did a great job of putting themselves in position to win on the road. It’s not easy. So, the good thing about the NBA is we got another one tomorrow.”
For a good chunk of the second half, they looked like the better team. Scoring the first 13 points of the third quarter, the Mavericks went up 71-60. And it was fair to wonder if the Bucks were running out of gas in the second of back-to-back games.
If they were, it was only temporary. They got back in the game behind Cameron Payne and Lillard, as the Bucks tightened things up at 83-81 with under three minutes left in the third.
But the Mavericks kept pushing and with Irving having a big quarter, they moved back ahead 98-89 going into the fourth. It wouldn’t last.
But it was that way throughout. Antetokounmpo was a load in the first half. The Mavericks had a difficult time locating him in the half-court offense and the Greek Freak would end up with 20 first-half points to go with eight rebounds.
And yet, the Mavericks were in a good spot at halftime, down just 60-58 when Grant Williams knocked in a three-pointer on the Mavericks’ last possession of the half.
When they scored the first 13 points of the third quarter to go up 71, they were in an even better spot. But that didn’t last, either.
Briefly: At Saturday’s shootaround, O-Max Prosper was presented his 2022-23 Big East championship ring by another Big East alum, God Shammgod. Prosper and the Marquette Warriors won the regular season and tournament titles last season . . . Maxi Kleber (small toe dislocation) remained out Saturday.
X: @ESefko
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