Giannis, Bucks' 18-Game Win Streak Snapped by Mavs Despite Luka Doncic Injury

The Dallas Mavericks are the first team to beat the Milwaukee Bucks since Nov. 8, snapping their 18-game winning streak with a statement 120-116 win Monday night at Fiserv Forum.

"

The #Mavericks defeated the Bucks 120-116 tonight, snapping Milwaukee’s 18-game win streak.

This marks the longest opposing win streak snapped by the Mavs in franchise history.

*18, MIL in 2019
12, MIA in 2010
12, SA in 2010
11, SAC in 2002
11, HOU in 1993 pic.twitter.com/TgRoLJdN0O

— Mavs PR (@MavsPR) December 17, 2019"

The Mavericks dominated wire-to-wire, leading by double digits throughout the contest behind double-digit scoring from six different players. Milwaukee cut the lead to 119-116 with 5.2 seconds in regulation, but it was too late.

Dallas outshot the Bucks across the board by going 46.6 percent from the field and 39.0 percent from three opposite Milwaukee's 41.9 percent and 26.8 percent, respectively.

The Mavs' upset was made much more impressive because they were without reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Luka Doncic, who sprained his ankle Saturday, which should have made Milwaukee's advantage of having reigning league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo even larger.

The problem, though, was that the Bucks couldn't generate offense outside of Antetokounmpo's game-high 48 points until garbage time.

Doncic supported his squad on Twitter:

The 24-4 Bucks still lead the Eastern Conference by four games.

The Mavs, meanwhile, improved to 18-8 in an encouraging first look at what they're capable of until Doncic returns.

Notable Stats

DAL F Kristaps Porzingis: 26 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 block

DAL G Seth Curry: 26 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists

DAL F Dorian Finney-Smith: 15 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block

MIL F Giannis Antetokounmpo: 48 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

MIL G Kyle Korver: 17 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block

MIL F Khris Middleton: 9 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

Bucks Show Vulnerability Ahead of Showdown with West's Best Lakers

This loss does not change the fact Milwaukee appears to be the favorite to come out of the Eastern Conference, but the timing of the loss makes it a little more intriguing.

Milwaukee will host the 24-3 Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night. It will be the first time the two heavyweights clash this season.

While the Bucks were able to make it a one-possession game with under one minute in regulation, their frantic garbage-time comeback was not enough to overcome the deficiencies they had shown throughout the contest.

Milwaukee scored 20 points in the third quarter, and Antetokounmpo scored 13 of them.

That did not cut it against Dallas and certainly won't when the Lakers come to town.

For one, reserve guard Kyle Korver was the team's only double-digit scorer outside of Antetokounmpo until well into the fourth quarter.

Given how much the offense struggled away from Antetokounmpo, it has to be noted that the Bucks were without Eric Bledsoe. The 30-year-old point guard's 5.7 assists per game leads the team, and he is expected to miss at least two weeks with a fractured fibula suffered Friday.

Bledsoe's absence should be further exploited by the Lakers, who are riding a seven-game winning streak of their own.

L.A. hasn't looked unbeatable, having most recently eked out a 101-96 victory over the 6-21 Atlanta Hawks on Sunday.

The Mavs Are for Real, Even Without Luka Doncic

Dallas led Milwaukee by 14 points at the end of the first quarter, which marked the largest lead by a Bucks opponent throughout their 18-game winning streak. The Mavs' largest lead of the contest was 16 points.

The most impressive aspect, though, was the Mavs' ability to bounce back out to a 10-point lead entering the fourth quarter after the Bucks had come back to take a 65-64 lead at the 8:05 mark in the third. That ballooned into a 15-point lead with just over three minutes in regulation.

It went without saying that the Mavericks would be a lesser squad without MVP candidate Doncic, but they showed against the hottest team in the league that being Doncic-less does not make them a bad team by any stretch of the imagination.

Earlier Monday, Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle commented on what Dallas will look like without Doncic, which could last up to two weeks: "Look, he's a great player. He's putting up phenomenal numbers and so, it's a collective thing."

Doncic is the league's third-most prolific scorer, averaging 29.3 points per game. Dallas did not get that kind of production from any one Maverick in Milwaukee. The team needed a collective effort to maintain its league-best 116.6 offensive rating, per NBA.com.

Porzingis bucketed 26 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to notch his second December double-double with six of those points coming on back-to-back 30-foot threes:

But the Mavs knew they were going to need the best of Porzinigs without Doncic. It was Seth Curry who provided a more surprising much-needed spark off the bench:

Curry scored 11 of his 26 points in the third quarter alone, and his 4-of-8 shooting from three in the game matched Porzingis.

Overall, six Mavs scored in double digits. Jalen Brunson, starting at point in Doncic's place, was one of them.

The 2018 second-round pick made his fourth start of this season but put 38 starts under his belt as a rookie. With 13 points and 11 assists, Brunson secured his first double-double of the year. He will be a plenty capable fill-in for Dallas' next three games against the 17-7 Celtics, 20-8 Philadelphia 76ers and 18-8 Toronto Raptors.

"

JB set EVERYONE up tonight! The second-year PG set a career-high with 11 assists!@jalenbrunson1 | #MFFL pic.twitter.com/HECJg4mm5b

— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) December 17, 2019"

But the beauty is that it won't have to fall on Brunson or any one player to carry the load and compete against the best the league has to offer. Having this on display at the Bucks thrilled owner Mark Cuban:

The Mavericks will host Boston before heading out east to face Philly and Toronto, but so far this season, it hasn't mattered where they play. Dallas is 10-2 on the road this season, already surpassing their 9-32 away record from last season.

What's Next?

The Bucks have a showdown at home with the Lakers on Thursday night in what could be an NBA Finals preview.

The Mavs will return home to host the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night.