Staying healthy is the No. 1 priority in the preseason.
That alone has made the Mavericks’ training camp and exhibition games an unqualified success.
The fact that they went 4-0 doesn’t hurt, either.
They sat their three best players on Friday in the preseason finale at Milwaukee. But that didn’t change a thing for the Mavericks, who finished their charge through the warm-up games with a 114-103 victory over the defending NBA champion Bucks.
The win puts a cap on the 4-0 preseason. It’s the first time in franchise history that the Mavericks have gone unbeaten in their exhibition games.
And, of course, they’ll be back to 0-0 when they open the regular season Thursday at Atlanta.
“This was a great start,” Jalen Brunson said of the preseason. “Whenever you can win games, it’s a plus, no matter what the situation. I’d rather learn by winning than by losing. We’re going to keep getting better. This is obviously the first step.”
The Mavericks rested Luka Dončić, Kristaps Porzingis and Tim Hardaway Jr. But they got a terrific performance from Brunson, who may never be the triple-double machine that Dončić is, but nevertheless showed his overall skills with 17 points, six rebounds and five assists.
He sat out the fourth quarter, as did the other starters as the Mavericks were never seriously threatened in the second half after building a 20-point lead in the second quarter.
“We have a lot of depth,” Brunson said. “Whatever group we put out there is going to do what they can to help this team win. Obviously, we were missing a lot.”
The Bucks were playing a lot of their starters, including Giannis Antetokounmpo, who had 26 points and 10 rebounds in 25 minutes of action through three quarters. Khris Middleton, however, missed the game while tending to a personal matter.
But it hasn’t really mattered who has played against the Mavericks in the preseason. They rolled past Utah, the Los Angeles Clippers, Charlotte and now Milwaukee.
And they maintained their health.
But that wasn’t the only thing they got out of the preseason.
“At the beginning of training camp, we talked about defense, not just in games, but in practice,” coach Jason Kidd said. “The guys really bought into what we were selling.
“And so, the physicality of our team, understanding that they did everything we asked. I think all 20 guys participated and gave everything they had.”
The Mavericks got their roster down to the maximum 17 players (15 active, two two-way players) by waiving Tyrell Terry, Feron Hunt and Carlik Jones after the game.
Kidd called it a “numbers game,” adding that they showed during camp that they belong in the NBA – somewhere.
But their depth is something the Mavericks clearly want to be a calling card.
“It was a beautiful thing, again,” Kidd said. “The ball is moving. We’re getting wide-open looks. Defensively, we’re getting deflections and steals.
“There’s not a dropoff. I think our bench scored 58 points tonight. And that just shows how deep we are.”
Trey Burke had 14 points, Dwight Powell had 12 and Sterling Brown had 11 in his first trip back to Milwaukee, where he played the first three years of his NBA career.
“The moment we touched down, it was a great feeling to be back,” Brown said. “It is my first time back since I signed with Houston last year. And to be able to perform the way I did, in front of family and friends and my old teammates, it was a good experience.”
So was the entire preseason for the Mavericks.
They wanted to stress defense and the Mavericks limited three of their four preseason opponents to 103 points or less, including that 59-point shutdown of Charlotte on Wednesday.
They preached chemistry and, from top to bottom, players said this group is as tied-together as a team can be.
And they rebounded. They averaged 17 more boards than their opponent in the first three preseason contests. And they won the boards against Milwaukee 55-44.
Add it all up and the Mavericks looked like they were ready for the regular season.
Now they just have to wait until Thursday.
Twitter: @ESefko
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