MILWAUKEE – Kyrie Irving was back at practice on Friday and barring any setbacks with his left foot, the Mavericks expect him to return to action Saturday against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Irving sat out Wednesday’s 130-117 win at Washington, which was the second night of a back-to-back. Irving had missed games on Oct. 30 and Nov. 1 with a sprained left foot.
The Mavericks are being cautious with it, as coach Jason Kidd said before the Washington game.
With Irving likely back in the lineup, the Mavericks will be closer to full strength against the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night. Maxi Kleber (small toe dislocation) is the only player expected to miss the marquee game.
Here’s what else to look for in the Mavericks’ only visit to Milwaukee this season:
- The Mavericks will finish their first extended road trip of the season. They are 2-1 so far after splitting two games in New Orleans and winning Wednesday at Washington.
- Tim Hardaway Jr. has scored in double figures in 11 of the 12 games this season, including a season-best 31 on Wednesday. He’s adapted quite well as a full-time sixth man. “He’s been great,” coach Jason Kidd said. “We all know he can start. But what he does for us off the bench at both ends, I think he’s very comfortable in what we’ve asked him to do and he’s doing at a very high level.” As a bonus to his strong three-point shooting, Hardaway is among the NBA leaders in number of charges taken.
- Luka Dončić remains second in the NBA in scoring at nearly 31 points per game. He’s been consistent and he’s also been able to allow Hardaway and Irving to take larger roles in the offense when the situation calls for it.
- The Bucks are coming off two impressive victories. First, they had a 128-112 home victory over Toronto in which Giannis Antetokounmpo did not play because of a right calf issue. The Greek Freak returned to play on Friday in the Bucks’ visit to Charlotte, and they crushed the Hornets 130-99. Antetokounmpo had 16 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. For the season, he is averaging 29 points and 9.5 rebounds. On the Bucks’ injury front, former Maverick Jae Crowder (groin muscle strain) is listed as out.
- Former Portland Trail Blazer Damian Lillard has averaged better than 24 points per game since arriving and is part of the reason why the Bucks lead the league in free-throw attempts. He and Antetokounmpo both get to the line about 10 times per game.
- The Mavericks had a difficult back-to-back when they went from New Orleans to Washington, and the Bucks now will have a tough one coming home from Charlotte with less than 24 hours rest in between games. The Mavericks then will turn around and head home to play Sacramento on Sunday, another challenging back-to-back.
- The Mavericks lost both meetings with the Bucks last season, including 124-115 at Milwaukee.
MAVERICKS (9-3) at MILWAUKEE BUCKS (8-4)
- When, where: 7 p.m. Saturday, FiServ Forum, Milwaukee.
- TV: Bally Sports Southwest/NBA TV.
- Radio: 97.1 FM The Freak; 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish).
X: @ESefko
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