Milwaukee Bucks fall late to Dallas Mavericks in second 2018 Summer League tilt
Undone in the second half by sloppy play and offensive ineffectiveness, the Milwaukee Bucks were defeated by the Dallas Mavericks late in their second 2018 NBA Summer League game.
The Milwaukee Bucks were unable to make it two wins in a row to open their Summer League foray this year as they were thwarted by the Dallas Mavericks 81-78 Sunday evening in Las Vegas.
The Bucks got off to an incredibly hot start from both the field and from beyond the three-point line, leading to them holding a double-digit lead at the 3:27 mark of the first quarter. However, the Mavericks subsequently strung together a 12-0 run before Jordan Barnett buried a triple to give the Bucks a 28-26 lead at the end of the first period.
That late push in the first set the tone for the rest of the night as a tightly contested matchup started to unfold starting midway through the second quarter.
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With that said, it was the Bucks who held a 50-48 edge over the Mavericks heading into halftime.
Coming out of the halftime break, the Mavericks broke up the Bucks’ command of the game to take possession of the lead, though the Bucks remained hot on their trails throughout the third quarter, in large part due to the efforts of second-year player Sterling Brown.
Up 65-63 with 12 minutes left to go, the Bucks grew incredibly ineffective on the majority of their offensive possessions, thanks to the Mavericks picking up their stinginess defensively.
Before long, the Mavericks permanently regained the lead at the 4:56 mark of the fourth and final frame and despite some last minute heroics on the Bucks’ part, specifically Travis Trice, the Bucks couldn’t do the unthinkable and pick up a comeback victory.
So without further ado, let’s continue to break down the Bucks’ Summer League loss to the Mavericks by shining a light on what stood out, both good and bad, hand out player of the game honors and see who they take on next in Las Vegas.