Bucks News: Kyrie Irving, Mavericks Blow Doors Off Milwaukee in Preseason Finale

No Luka Doncic, no problem for the home team.

Oct 17, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) dribbles as Milwaukee Bucks guard Andre Jackson Jr. (44) defends during the first half at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

No Luka Doncic, no problem for the home team.

In the Milwaukee Bucks' road preseason finale against the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night, the reigning Western Conference champs managed to ride a balanced offensive attack to an easy 109-84 victory. To be fair, the Bucks sat five of their top six players, with only minimum-salaried starting shooting guard Gary Trent Jr. suiting up. The Mavericks, meanwhile, played five of their own top six players, with only their perennial MVP contender, Doncic, sitting.

Trent was the only double digit scorer among the Bucks' starters, notching 12 points on 6-of-14 shooting, plus two boards and a dish.

The 6-foot-5 wing was joined by another minimum-salaried veteran signing, forward Taurean Prince, plus rookie power forward Tyler Smith, rookie combo guard AJ Johnson at the point, and Exhibit 10 center Liam Robbins.

Bucks reserve center Anžejs Pasečņiks and guard Ryan Rollins were the team's other players to finish with double digit points. The 7-foot-1 Pasečņiks scored 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals. The 6-foot-3 Rollins notched 10 points while shooting 4-of-7 from the field (2-of-4 from beyond the arc) in 14:25, while also passing for three assists and grabbing two rebounds.

Dallas' other All-Star guard, Kyrie Irving, scored a game-leading 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the floor (2-of-3 from beyond the arc) in just 19:16 of action, while also chipping in two rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal. Splashy new Mavericks signing Klay Thompson chipped in 11 points on 4-of-11 shooting from the field (3-of-7 from deep), six rebounds and two assists. Center Daniel Gafford contributed 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the floor. Guard Jaden Hardy also had 11 points, while backup center Dereck Lively was one rebound away from a double-double (he had 10 points and nine boards).

The Mavericks enjoyed a major free throw shooting edge. Dallas went 21-of-25 from the charity stripe, while Milwaukee shot 3-of-5 from the foul line. The Bucks did enjoy a 3-point advantage, going 11-of-35 from distance compared to Dallas' pedestrian 8-of-28 conversion rate.

From here on out, the Bucks' games this year are actually going to count. Milwaukee's first matchup of the 2024-25 regular season is a clash against another Eastern Conference would-be titan, the Philadelphia 76ers, scheduled for Wednesday, October 23 at 4:30 p.m. PT.

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