MILWAUKEE – It wasn’t a road trip from hell. But neither was it a slice of heaven.
It was somewhere in between as the Mavericks four-game journey ended Saturday night with a 132-125 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.
They went 2-2 on the trip, winning one of two in New Orleans, crushing Washington and then falling to the Bucks.
Could have been worse.
But the Mavericks also showed some growth on this trip, as Kyrie Irving said after the Bucks’ game, in which he had a season-best 39 points, 33 of them in the second half. They have played two elite teams so far – Denver and Milwaukee. They lost both, but played more like they belong in that list against the Bucks.
“There were some difference-makers in the second half we can clean up,” Irving said, mostly referring to the 72 points (43 in the fourth quarter) that they surrendered to the Bucks. “Definitely lessons learned here.
“Both games (Denver, Milwaukee) were really high pace. And it was going to require us to grow as a team. We were going to be challenged. We’re up 11 and then they get four straight possessions of quality shots. What I learned, we just have to mature as a team and find that consistency we talk about daily.”
And it’s going to be a relentless learning process. The Mavericks won’t have it any easier against the fast-paced Sacramento Kings on Sunday.
“Teams are going to throw their best at us,” Irving said. “We saw that tonight with Milwaukee. But when you play against the top teams in the league, you can really use that measuring stick to propel yourself moving forward. Gather all the mistakes, attack them and move forward.”
We’ll see what kind of response they provide as the schedule turns ugly during Thanksgiving week and beyond.
Here’s our other takeaways from the loss at Milwaukee:
BREAKING DOWN THAT FOURTH QUARTER: The Bucks were the ones playing the second night of back-to-back games. But they were the more energetic team in the stretch. The Mavericks surrendered 66.7 percent shooting (14-of-21) and gave up 25 points combined to Giannis Antetokounmpo (15) and Damian Lillard (10). On the offensive end, they had only three players score in the fourth quarter: Irving with 15, and Luka Doncic and Tim Hardaway Jr. with 6 each. And the Mavericks had no second-chance points or fast-break points. Without those easy buckets, they couldn’t keep pace.
AND ANOTHER THING: The three-point shot dried up for the Mavericks in the fourth quarter. They made just 3-of-15 from outside the arc. They had gone 13-of-32 in the first three quarters. But, as Irving said, there were more important matters. “When you give up 43 points in the fourth quarter, it’s going to be a tough one,” he said. “We did a good job coming out of halftime with that energy and verve that we normally have, playing good defensive principles (and scoring the first 13 points).” And, as Luka confirmed: “We just got to play better defense. I don’t think offense is the problem.”
FEAR THE DEER? That’s the motto the Bucks hang their antlers on, and there must be something to it. They won despite Saturday being the opening day of deer season in Wisconsin.
X: @ESefko
Share and comment