The Milwaukee Bucks have had the best record in the NBA the past two seasons. They are legitimate championship contenders, led by a superstar who has won back-to-back MVP titles.
This is exactly the position the Mavericks hope to be in, preferably sooner than later.
As they finished up a two-game preseason sweep against the Bucks with Monday’s sharp 128-112 win at Fiserv-Forum arena in Milwaukee, the Mavericks got a good look at a team that has rebuilt the way they are trying to do it.
It was only fitting that Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Dončić put on a third-quarter show in a game that looked very much like a regular-season game in terms of playing rotations for the first three periods.
Dončić had 15 of his 27 points in the third quarter. For the game, the Mavericks were plus 18 when he was on the floor. Ditto for Josh Richardson, who had 23 points to give the Mavericks 50 points out of their starting backcourt.
Basically, the Greek Freak and Luka both looked like superstars, which, of course, they are.
What they did before the game was turned over to deep reserves down the stretch was show just how one player can lead a franchise back to relevance and beyond.
The Bucks are one of the favorites to win the Eastern Conference and maybe the NBA title, too. Dončić already has joined the Greek Freak as a legit MVP candidate. He hasn’t quite got the Mavericks to championship caliber yet, but Antetokounmpo had a five-year head start. The Mavericks’ anchor is catching up fast. And the team hopes to follow.
Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer said before the game that it’s a never-ending process to try to build a team around a superstar. The Mavericks did it with Dirk Nowitzki and now are trying to do so with Luka.
When Antetokounmpo was drafted in 2013, the Bucks had missed the playoffs in five of the previous seven seasons.
“You certainly want to build a roster and get as much talent around a special player like Giannis,” Budenholzer said. “And then role players have to maybe play above their head, grow and develop (and) find guys in the draft or free agency.
“You’re constantly trying to build a roster around a guy like Dirk or Luka or Giannis. And then there’s a big load on those guys. There never will not be. But the more we can put around Giannis, the better for him and the better for us.”
The same goes for Luka, which is why the Mavericks have added piece by piece the past two offseasons and will look to do so again next summer when they have plenty of salary cap space with which to build.
One of the new additions this year stepped up with a major showing on Monday. Richardson had 15 points and seven rebounds by halftime in a game that looked a lot like a dress rehearsal for the regular season that starts Dec. 23.
The Mavericks’ starters all played at least 14 minutes in the first half and, unlike the preseason opener on Saturday, they all started the second half, too.
The rotation was limited to 10 players in the first three quarters – only Jalen Brunson, Maxi Kleber, Trey Burke, James Johnson and rookie Josh Green got off the bench.
It was the starters that came out in the third quarter on a 12-2 blitz to tie the game at 71. They were up by two going into the fourth quarter, when the same group of reserves that blew open Saturday’s game did so again in the rematch. Green, Brunson, Kleber and Burke all had highlight moments as the Mavericks pulled away in the fourth quarter.
They will conclude the preseason schedule Thursday against Minnesota at American Airlines Center. No fans will be allowed in the arena.
Twitter: @ESefko
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December 15, 2020 at 10:48AM
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Mavericks complete preseason sweep of Bucks with 128-112 victory - The Official Home of - Mavs.com
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