Dallas Mavs Hot Reactions: Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving's 74 Points Not Enough vs. Milwaukee Bucks; Time to Worry About Josh Green?
Despite Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving combining for 74 points on Saturday night, the Dallas Mavericks, coming off multiple days of rest, were unable to take care of business against a Milwaukee Bucks team that was playing on a second night of a back-to-back. After leading 98-89 at the end of the third quarter, the Mavs were outscored 43-27 in the fourth quarter en route to a 132-125 loss to end a four-game road trip.
In that fourth quarter, the Bucks were awarded nine free throws in the final 5:06 of the game to the Mavs' zero. Dallas still had several opportunities to overcome the lack of having a consistent whistle, but it wasn't meant to be on Saturday. After letting both teams play through contact for the first three quarters, it was unfortunate to see the officiating crew change their approach in crunch time.
"We did a good job coming out of halftime with that energy and verve we normally have," said Irving, who finished with a season-high 39 points on 16-29 from the field. "We were playing good defensive principals, and they were making timely shots. A few times in that fourth quarter, I was out of position, or other guys were out of position defensively where we're giving up some corner threes to some of their shooters and Giannis getting downhill, shooting a few free throws tonight.
"There were some difference makers in that second half where we can clean up. Now, we just have to get ready for Sacramento — definitely lessons learned here."
Luka Doncic put up 35 points on 15-26 shooting, and Kyrie Irving put up a season-high 39 points on 16-29 shooting in the Dallas Mavericks' 132-125 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night.
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Aside from some questionable calls and no-calls, the Mavs have other things to worry about, as fourth-year guard Josh Green, who just signed a three-year, $41 million contract extension before the season began, put up another underwhelming performance. Green finished with just three points on 1-3 shooting off the bench, and he was a team-worst -27 in just 20 minutes.
Over his last five games, Green is averaging just 4.2 points while shooting 32 percent from the field and 25 percent from deep. If Green is going to continue to put up those kind of numbers, the Mavs might be better off throwing rookie wing Olivier-Maxence Prosper in the game to gain some valuable experience. It's a long season, and Green is certainly capable of turning things around, but the Mavs need his contributions sooner than later.
On the latest episode of the Mavs Step Back Podcast, we recap the Mavs' loss to the Bucks and all the reasons for it, as well as look forward to Sunday's second night of a back-to-back against the Sacramento Kings at American Airlines Center.
You can watch and listen to the full segment below, and be sure to subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and anywhere else you get your podcasts! You can also leave us a review on Apple Podcasts for a chance to win future giveaways.
