The Dallas Mavericks sprung past the Milwaukee Bucks in overtime to register a 136-132 victory on Saturday. Luka Doncic scored 36 points and posted his 17th triple-double of this season and 25th of his career, along with 14 rebounds and a career-high 19 assists.
Dorian Finney-Smith contributed with 27 points and 11 rebounds while Kristaps Porzingis netted 26 points and 11 rebounds. Maxi Kleber and Trey Burke chipped in with 15 and 10 points respectively as the Mavericks recovered from a seven-point deficit in regulation.
Bucks Fall Short
Brook Lopez recorded season highs of 34 points and six 3-pointers, and Giannis Antetokounmpo added 34 points, 13 rebounds and five blocked shots for the NBA-best Bucks (55-15). Khris Middleton registered 21 points and 11 assists, and Eric Bledsoe had 15 points.
Dallas scored 16 straight points — the final seven of regulation and the first nine of overtime — to open up a 128-119 lead. Tim Hardaway Jr. made one 3-pointer, and Finney-Smith drained two to start the overtime and give Dallas the nine-point lead with 3:05 left. But the Bucks rallied with two baskets by Antetokounmpo and a 3-pointer from Middleton to move within 128-126 with 1:42 to play.
A short time later, Doncic delivered a highlight-reel, lefty bounce pass between his legs to a charging Kleber, who delivered a dunk and added the free throw to give Dallas a five-point edge with 1:08 left.
Doncic's basket with 11.1 seconds left gave the Mavericks a 135-130 lead as they closed out the impressive victory. Before the overtime, George Hill's 3-pointer gave the Bucks a 115-112 edge with 3:38 left, and Antetokounmpo and Bledsoe added baskets for a seven-point lead with 2:28 to play.
Mavericks Late Recovery
The Mavericks recovered, as Finney-Smith buried a 3-pointer, Porzingis made two free throws and Doncic hit two free throws to tie it with 21.4 seconds left. Hill missed the possible game-winning 3-point attempt with three seconds remaining.
The Bucks shot 47.5 percent from the field and were 15 of 44 from 3-point range. Dallas connected on 41.7 percent of its shots, including 17 of 53 from behind the arc. The Mavericks committed just seven turnovers.
Lopez scored 21 of his 24 first-half points in the second quarter to help Milwaukee hold a 71-62 halftime lead. Dallas led by 11 on multiple occasions, including at 50-39 with 8:13 left in the half before the Bucks erupted on a 21-4 burst over the ensuing five-plus minutes.
(With inputs from agencies)
