MAVERICKS (48-30) AT MILWAUKEE BUCKS (48-29)
Time: Noon
Place: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee
TV: ABC, Channel 8
Radio: The Eagle, 97.1 FM; Univision 99.1 FM (Spanish)
About the Mavericks: The Mavs are trying to bounce back after losing Friday night on the road to the Washington Wizards, 135-103. Luka Doncic finished that game with 36 points, seven rebounds and six assists, and now has more 30-point games (21) than anyone in the NBA since Jan. 19. . .This is the third game of a four-game road trip for the Mavs, which ends Wednesday in Detroit before they return home to close out the regular season with games against Portland on Friday and San Antonio on April 10. . .In addition to the game against the Wizards, the road trip included last Wednesday’s 120-112 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. . .The Mavs are trying to fight off the Golden State Warriors and secure the Western Conference’s No. 3 seed. The Warriors are one game up on the Mavs in the standings. Since Dallas won the season series against Golden State, 3-1, the higher seed would go to the Mavs if those two teams end the regular season in a two-way tie for the No. 3 seed. . .The Mavs are 21-18 on the road and 14-14 against Eastern Conference teams. . .In their only meeting against the Bucks this season, the Mavs lost to Milwaukee at American Airlines Center, 102-95, on Dec. 23. Led by Jalen Brunson’s 19 points, the Mavs had six players score at least 10 points in that contest. The Mavs led, 43-41, at halftime, but were outscored, 61-52, in the second half. Bucks superstar Giannis 
Antetokounmpo and Doncic both missed the game because they were each in the health and safety protocols. . .Mavs coach Jason Kidd was the Bucks’ coach from 2014-’18.
About the Bucks: They are the defending NBA champs, and the way they’ve played lately, they’re going to be difficult to dethrone. . .The Bucks lead the Central Division and are three games ahead of the second-place Chicago Bulls. . .Milwaukee got hammered at home by the Los Angeles Clippers this past Friday, 153-119. The Clippers made 60.9 percent of their field goals and also were 23-of-43 from three-point land. But that loss to the Clippers comes with an asterisk due to the Bucks’ top six players not playing because this was the second end of a grueling back-to-back for Milwaukee. In the loss to the Clippers, the Bucks were without Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday, Brook Lopez, Grayson Allen and Wesley Matthews. Antetokounmpo has missed three of the last seven games because of right knee soreness, and Middleton didn’t play in three of the past six games due to a sore left wrist. . .On the front end of their back-to-back on Thursday, the Bucks won a hotly-contested overtime game at the Brooklyn Nets, 120-119. Antetokounmpo finished that game with 44 points, 14 rebounds and six assists. And that came one game after he collected 40 points, 14 rebounds, six assists and a game-deciding block at the rim of Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid during Tuesday’s 118-116 win over the 76ers. . .Antetokounmpo is playing like he could win the Most Valuable Player award for the third time in the past four seasons.. .The Bucks are 20-2 when they shoot at least 50 percent from the field. One of those losses occurred Friday when the Bucks shot 53.2 percent from the floor in the loss to the Clippers.
Twitter: @DwainPrice
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