Milwaukee Bucks Game Preview: April 2 vs Dallas Mavericks
By Ti Windisch
Major Key For Milwaukee: Run On Fast Breaks
The Mavericks have gotten younger, but they certainly aren’t any faster than they have been in years past. Dallas is the second-slowest team in the NBA in terms of pace, with only the plodding Utah Jazz using less possessions per game.
The difference between the Jazz and the Mavs is that Utah can defend at a high level. The Jazz are third in the NBA in defensive rating, while Dallas comes in at a league-average 15th. The Bucks shouldn’t have too much trouble scoring on Sunday.
They’ll have a much easier time of it if the Bucks can pick up the pace. Dallas’ most exciting playmaker, Seth Curry, is out with a left shoulder injury. The Mavericks are going to want to play slow, considering they start two plodding big men in Dirk and Noel.
Milwaukee has to focus on outrunning Dallas whenever possible. The Mavericks are a cagey defensive team, but they’re not equipped with the athletes to stop Milwaukee in transition. The Bucks should try to blow past them consistently, to build up a lead that is too much for the turtle-fast Mavs to get past.
The tricky thing here is that the Bucks play pretty slow as well. Milwaukee is 25th among NBA teams in pace, just a few spots ahead of Dallas. A low-scoring contest seems likely, and that might favor the Mavs.