Mavs Choke at Free-Throw Line, Fall to Bucks in 4th-Quarter Collapse
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The Dallas Mavericks’ three-game win streak was snapped against the Milwaukee Bucks due to horrendous free-throw shooting down the stretch.
Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks came into Friday night’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks riding a three-game win streak and looking for more.
Despite having a double-digit fourth-quarter lead, the Mavs choked it away down the stretch as Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dorian Finney-Smith missed five consecutive free throws in what ended up being a 106-105 loss. Dallas dropped to 13-12, while Milwaukee improved to 19-6.
Doncic led the way for Dallas by putting up 33 points, six rebounds and 11 assists while shooting 13-28 from the field and just 3-11 from the 3-point line. He also threw down a monstrous dunk in transition that sent the American Airlines Center into a frenzy late in the third quarter. It was just one of many exciting dunks for the Mavs on the night.
This isn’t the first time that putrid free-throw shooting has hurt the Mavs this season, and it won’t be the last if they can’t find a way to fix the issue. As a team, Dallas shot 10-24 from the free-throw line. The Bucks were +9 in that category on the night, as they finished shooting 19-23 from the stripe. Fourteen missed freebies in a one-point loss is a tough pill for the Mavs to swallow.
The Mavs had no answers for Giannis Antetokounmpo on Friday night … until he fouled out 2:55 remaining in the game. Until that point, Antetokounmpo dominated the fourth quarter and helped the Bucks erase a double-digit deficit. He finished with 28 points, 10 rebounds and three assists while shooting 10-20 from the field. The Greek Freak turned the ball over seven times.
Next up, the Mavs will make a quick flight to the Windy City to take on Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and the Chicago Bulls on the second night of a back-to-back. After the 9 p.m. CT start time on Friday, the Mavs will tip-off against the Bulls at 7 p.m. CT on Saturday. As coach Jason Kidd said, it’s going to essentially be a “doubleheader.”
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