Milwaukee Bucks: Takeaways from 109-102 win over Dallas Mavericks

The Milwaukee Bucks snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against a determined Dallas Mavericks team on Friday night. What were some of the takeaways from this revenge game for Milwaukee?

For the second time this season, the Milwaukee Bucks’ system threatened to result in another loss against the Dallas Mavericks. Thankfully, talent won out and the Bucks stormed home with a huge second half to move inside the top-four of the Eastern Conference.

Dallas shot out of the gates on Friday night and led Milwaukee by as many as 13 with five minutes remaining in the first half. All the same issues from the first clash between these teams reared their head, though, as Milwaukee’s defensive scheme was leading to multiple open looks for Dallas’ sharp shooters.

Wesley Matthews continued his great form against the Bucks, finishing the night with 29 points, including 11-of-15 shooting and 5-of-7 from deep. Harrison Barnes and Dwight Powell threatened to push the game out of Milwaukee’s reach early on, but ultimately both were held back in the second half by an improved Bucks’ effort on defense.

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As for Milwaukee, there are plenty of positives to take out of Friday night’s win. Eric Bledsoe, Khris Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo were all fantastic and drove the team to victory late on. DeAndre Liggins and Malcolm Brogdon were also vitally important coming off the bench as Milwaukee leaned on both of them down the stretch to stagger their rotation.

A big talking point from Friday night’s game was Thon Maker who had a huge turnaround in the second half, following a putrid display in the first half. Maker was all at sea at times during the second quarter, but came up with some huge plays in the fourth quarter to help the Bucks over the line.

While it could be argued that Milwaukee should have blown out Dallas (a much lower ranked team), this win should be seen as perhaps a turning point in the season. For the first time in 2017-18, Milwaukee has moved four games over .500 and now has a real chance to push their claims for a top-four finish.