Dallas Mavericks vs Milwaukee Bucks Prediction & Match Preview - December 12th, 2020 | NBA Preseason 2020-21
Fixture - Dallas Mavericks vs Milwaukee Bucks - NBA Preseason
Date & Time - December 12th, 8 PM ET (December 13th, 6:30 AM IST)
Location - Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, WI
The Dallas Mavericks and Milwaukee Bucks will face off twice in the NBA preseason. The first game between these two teams will be played on the 12th but both games will be held in Milwaukee.
A matchup of Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo will be the highlight of this night’s tussle. Fans have to temper expectations, though, as stars rarely show off during preseason games.
Dallas Mavericks Preview
A slightly revamped Dallas Mavericks roster will be on display during the 2020-21 preseason. Many of the Mavs’ new recruits are going to make their debut in this game.
Coach Rick Carlisle will let superstar guard Luka Doncic play between 15-20 minutes. Kristaps Porzingis will not be suiting up as he is still nursing an injury and won’t be back until January.
Josh Richardson, acquired from the Philadelphia 76ers for Seth Curry, will try to acclimate himself to Carlisle’s system during the preseason. He’s a potential starter and if he’s going to be a regular in the starting lineup, he needs to get used to playing with the rest of the starting five soon.
Dallas’ trio of picks from the 2020 NBA Draft is likely to get the lion’s share of the minutes after halftime. Josh Green, Tyrell Terry and Tyler Bey will see plenty of action.
Key Player - Luka Doncic
Since this is the preseason, Luka Doncic won’t force the action much but he may want to practice shooting threes in this game and in their two other games. He has a career 3-point percentage of 32.1 percent only and, for a perimeter player, that’s not acceptable.
Doncic will control the tempo, dish the rock often to welcome his new teammates, and take the game over in the first quarter. From there, he won’t be pushing himself too hard even if the competitive juices are flowing.
Dallas Mavericks Predicted Lineup
G Luka Doncic, G Josh Richardson, Tim Hardaway Jr., Dorian Finney-Smith, C Maxi Kleber
Milwaukee Bucks Preview
The Milwaukee Bucks added DJ Augustin, Bryn Forbes, Torrey Craig and Bobby Portis who will all see plenty of playing time in this game.
Fans will get to see how well Jrue Holiday plays alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo in the early minutes while also trying to find Khris Middleton in his favorite spots on the court.
The Bucks will use their bench a lot in this game and will let the starters warm up a bit to see how they feel with all the new pieces in place.
Key Player - Giannis Antetokounmpo
Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo will be fired up this season to lead his team to the championship. But he will take it easy during the preseason.
That means we'll see Antetokounmpo come in during the first quarter and then probably stay on the bench the rest of the way. The rest of the Milwaukee Bucks will pick up the slack for him to keep him fresh for the regular season grind.
Milwaukee Bucks Predicted Lineup
G Jrue Holiday, G Donte DiVincenzo, F Khris Middleton, F Giannis Antetokounmpo, C Brook Lopez
Dallas Mavericks vs. Milwaukee Bucks - Match Prediction
The Dallas Mavericks are title contenders in the making but it's unsure if they will go all the way this season. They are still an unproven commodity and will be experimenting a lot in this game.
As for the Milwaukee Bucks, they'll try different offensive sets in this game. Coach Mike Budenholzer is under pressure to diversify his system so it doesn't become too predictable, especially in the playoffs.
Expect the Bucks to win this game as they'll be more accustomed to playing with one another compared to the Mavericks, who have a lot of new roster pieces.
Dallas Mavericks vs. Milwaukee Bucks - Where to Watch
The game will be televised on FOX Sports Wisconsin and will be available in high definition and will be streamed live via the FOX Sports GO app. International viewers can catch the game on NBA League Pass.