Milwaukee Bucks: 3 takeaways from 112-109 win over Dallas Mavericks

The Milwaukee Bucks secured their ninth win of the season with a thrilling 112-109 victory over the Dallas Mavericks Friday night.

The Dallas Mavericks entered Fiserv Forum Friday night with a 3-3 record against the Milwaukee Bucks over the past three seasons.

Dallas has always been a challenging matchup for Milwaukee, and their first matchup of the 2020-21 regular season proved no different. It was a 48-minute roller coaster ride for both teams that kept fans on the edge of their seat as two of the league’s best teams battled it out.

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In the end, the Bucks were able to let out a sizeable sigh of relief after they narrowly escaped with a 112-109 victory, their fourth straight win.

Aside from it being a thrill ride from start to finish, here are three takeaways from the Milwaukee Bucks’ ninth victory of the season.

Milwaukee Bucks versus Dallas Mavericks takeaway No. 3 – Free throw struggles kept Dallas in the game

Free throw shooting has been somewhat of a struggle for the Bucks early this season, and it was apparent in Friday night’s contest. The Bucks shot just 12-of-25 from the charity stripe, a vile 48 percent, which undoubtedly helped keep the Mavericks within striking distance on the scoreboard.

Nine of those misses came solely from Giannis Antetokounmpo, who could not throw a rock into the ocean from the line. The Greek Freak was just 1-of-10 on the night, which is certainly unsettling. Improving his free throw shooting has always been a point of emphasis for the two-time league MVP, and he has struggled mightily there this season.

Had Antetokounmpo knocked down at least some of his attempts, this could have been a far different ball game. Giannis will continue getting his hefty share of attempts from the line every game, and he needs to capitalize on the opportunity to prevent instances like these. He undoubtedly understands this notion, which prompted him to stay out on the court after the game to work on his free throws.