After letting Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers pull away with a win on Saturday in Dallas, the Mavericks won't have much time to dwell. They are back in action Sunday night in Milwaukee to face the Bucks, who are without Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Luka Doncic powered the Los Angeles Lakers to a fourth-quarter comeback win, 116-110, over the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday in the All-Star point guard's primetime return to American Airlines Center, just his second as a visitor.
It was a disappointing finish for a Mavs squad that built a sizable second-half lead that ultimately slipped out from under them after poor execution and defensive lapses.
The Mavericks are now 19-27 on the season and without any room to dwell on the loss. After a late night and early morning in storm-stricken Dallas, the team must bounce-back and prepare for a back-to-back against the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday night.
Mavs reporter Christian Clark of The Athletic noted that the team plane did not take off as early as expected, meaning an early flight Sunday morning may result in extra fatigue going into the matchup with the 18-26 Bucks.
Clark said the Mavs wanted to fly out of Dallas Saturday night after the game, but were unable to due to the weather restrictions.
The Dallas Morning News' Brad Townsend reported Sunday that the Mavs are boarded up and aiming to take off at 11:30 a.m. CST en route to Milwaukee. The game tips off at 6 p.m. tonight and thankfully the team will stay on schedule in the Central time zone.
Once they arrive, head coach Jason Kidd will begin to gameplan against a struggling Bucks team that is without star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo due to a calf strain.
Less than two weeks away from the Feb. 5 trade deadline, the Greek Freak has been subject to trade rumors, which date back to his reported frustration with the franchise he's spent over a decade with during the offseason.
The Mavericks, of course, will also be without their centerpiece in Anthony Davis, who is out indefinitely with a hand injury that has many questioning if he'll be moved at the deadline or not.
Similar to how the Mavs are with Davis, Milwaukee teeters around a .500 team with Giannis on the floor. Without him? Things get ugly.
The Bucks are 3-11 this season when Antetokounmpo out. They rank as the 27th offense and 30th defense in the NBA in those situations.
Dallas' offense has been in a rhythm lately, though it'll need a pick-me-up after the fourth-quarter collapse against Los Angeles that ended a four-game winning streak.
Max Christie (24) and Naji Marshall (21) did their part scoring the ball, but the Mavs could use more decisive offensive effort from Cooper Flagg and P.J. Washington on Sunday to get the better of the undermanned Bucks.
