Milwaukee Bucks will face the Dallas Mavericks on October 18 in the preseason game at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. The regular season is scheduled to start on October 22 and will conclude on April 13, 2025.
Last season, the Bucks finished third in the Eastern Conference with 49 wins in 82 games. They faced the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the Playoff series but lost the game by a 4–2 margin. The Bucks lost three more games after winning the playoff series opener with a final score of 109 to 94.
The Mavericks won 50 out of 82 games in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference and finished in first place. In the Western Conference finals, the Mavericks registered a 4–1 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. However, they lost the final of the playoffs series against the Boston Celtics by the same margin.
The Bucks and the Mavericks will be looking forward to going into the 79th season of the NBA with a victory in their bags. On that note, here are the previews, head-to-head stats, and odds for the NBA Preseason: Milwaukee Bucks vs Dallas Mavericks.
Milwaukee Bucks: Analysis and Team Preview
The Bucks have made some minor changes to their roster in the offseason. They did not re-sign any new players but added four new free agents: Taurean Prince, Gary Trent Jr., Stanley Umude, and Delon Wright.
The Bucks selected two players in the draft for this season. First was AJ Johnson, the number 23 pick, and then Tyler Smith – the number 33 pick.
These new signings will help the Bucks fill the gap left by three players, who recently made an exit. Malik Beasley moved to the Detroit Pistons, while Pat Beverley has signed with the Israeli basketball club, Hapoel Tel Aviv BC. Tyty Washington Jr. will play for the Phoenix Suns this season.
Since they didn’t even manage to win 50 games last season, The Bucks pressed the panic button and fired coach Adrian Griffin. He was replaced in January by Doc Rivers, as the new coach.
The Bucks have played two preseason games so far – one against the Pistons (lost 87–120), and the second against the Lakers (lost 102-107).
Point forward, Giannis Antetokounmpo made the highest rebounds and assists in these games. The 29-year-old, popularly known as the Greek Freak, suffered a calf injury and missed the 2024 NBA playoffs and some of the regular season matches last year. This season, he has fully recovered and is back in action.
Damian Lillard was traded last season via a three-team deal. So far, he has a low shooting percentage of 35.4% on three-pointers, which is below his career average of 37.2%. He was seen limping in the last game against the Lakers, putting his fitness into question.
Dallas Mavericks: Analysis and Team Preview
The runner-up from last season made several moves off-season to improve the team combination. They re-signed forward Markieff Morris and defender Brandon Williams. The Mavericks also signed two free agents – shooting guards Spencer Dinwiddie and Naji Marshall. Derrick Jones Jr. has signed a three-year deal with the Los Angeles Clippers and has departed after playing just one season for the Mavericks.
The Mavericks traded Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Detroit Pistons for Quentin Grimes. Along with that, the Mavericks will send three future second-round picks to the Pistons. They traded Klay Thompson, the five-time All-Star guard, in a sign-and-trade deal in exchange for Josh Green and a future 2nd-round pick.
In the draft, the Mavericks selected Melvin Ajinca with the 51st pick. They still have some unsigned free agents, including Greg Brown III and Markieff Morris.
Last season, Slovenian basketball player, Luka Doncic led the Mavericks to the finals with the highest assists, rebounds, and steals. Doncic scored the most points in the league and finished third in the MVP voting. PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford were brought in mid-season last year to strengthen the defenses.
Defender Derrick Jones Jr. has left for the LA Clippers. However, the signing of Naji Marshall might fill the gap in defense this season, while another new addition Klay Thompson has boosted the team’s shooting.
Milwaukee Bucks vs Dallas Mavericks: Head-to-Head and Odds
Milwaukee Bucks and Dallas Mavericks have played 85 regular season games against each other so far. The Bucks have won 47 times, while the Mavericks have been victorious on 38 occasions.
The Bucks have won four out of the last five outings against the Mavericks. The Mavericks last won a game against the Bucks in April 2022. Both teams met last time in December 2022 in a closely contested game that the Bucks won by 106-105.
For more information about betting on this fixture, visit the 7bet NBA betting page.
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