Milwaukee Bucks: 3 keys to victory when hosting Dallas Mavericks

Second key – Not letting Kristaps Porzingis get hot from 3-point range

Not only was the Mavericks’ win over the Hornets notable for the fact that it was played to begin with, but Dallas got a much-needed shot in the arm with the return of Kristaps Porzingis.

Having missed the first three weeks of the season as he recovered from offseason surgery on his meniscus, Porzingis made his season debut and finished with 16 points on 6-for-16 shooting in his 21 minutes of burn. After the game, Porzingis assessed his debut to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon:

"“I was doing as much as I could in the minutes that I had, and sometimes you don’t make the best decisions when you really want to be aggressive,” said Porzingis, who also had four rebounds and two blocks. “But it’s OK, it’s a part of it. I wanted to be out there, be aggressive for the time that I was going to be out there. “Most importantly, first game and first win for me. Looking forward to the next one and just getting into a rhythm where everything comes easy and we find that chemistry out there. That’s it, and then we’ll take off.”"

Porzingis’ floor spacing and ability to pick-and-pop plays as snug complement to Doncic’s maestro-like abilities on the ball and that will certainly test the Bucks’ pick-and-roll coverage over the course of Friday night’s game. Porzingis averaged 26 points on 18-of-43 shooting from the field (41.9 percent) and was 5-for-14 from three (35.7 percent), along with 11.5 boards, in his two games against the Bucks last season.

Even with a depleted supporting cast around him, especially in the starting lineup, Doncic and the Mavericks getting Porzingis back in action will always be trouble for the Bucks, given how he can stretch the floor and warp opposing defenses. How Budenholzer will respond to that and who he will task to guard the Latvian international over his limited minutes on the court could define how the game goes.