Milwaukee Bucks: 3 things to watch for vs. Dallas Mavericks in Orlando
Milwaukee Bucks: 3 things to watch for vs. Dallas Mavericks in Orlando – Where Dallas left off
The Mavericks’ 2019-20 season has undoubtedly been a success in the fact that they have booked their ticket to return to the playoffs after a four-year absence.
Of course, the Mavericks have one of the brightest dynamic duos between a potential MVP candidate in second-year guard Luka Doncic and the smooth shooting Kristaps Porzingis, who’s looking more like himself with each passing game in his first full season since tearing his ACL more than two-and-a-half years ago (against the Bucks, coincidentally).
Between those two cornerstones and the cadre of shooting threats they have under head coach Rick Carlisle’s spaced-out system, it’s the Mavericks who own the most lethal offense not just in terms of offensive efficiency this season, but of all-time, and that’s carried over into the restart. Per NBA.com/stats, the Mavericks have averaged 115.1 points per 100 possessions through their first four games since the restart.
It’s on the defensive end where the Mavericks are incredibly more vulnerable, even as they have a run of the mill defensive rating that stands 17th in the league at this point. Even while they don’t play at a blistering pace, and certainly compared to the Bucks’ standards, the Mavericks allow the most opposing fast break points per 100 possessions this season.
And while the Mavericks have pivoted wonderfully to moving Porzingis to starting at the 5 in light of Dwight Powell suffering his Achilles injury back in late January, the Mavericks’ interior defending is far from formidable as well. Dallas has allowed 52 opponent paint points per game over the course of their four contests in Orlando.
Again, this Mavericks team is incredibly dangerous based on their high-powered offense alone. But it’s fair to say that their defensive weaknesses are significant enough that it ultimately limits what they can achieve moving forward in the postseason.