Milwaukee Bucks (30-45) beat Dallas Mavericks (24-52) 123-99 at home on Tuesday, March 31. The final margin was 24 points.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Bucks struck first, taking the opening quarter 38-31 and a 7-point lead after one. The Bucks kept the pressure on with a 27-20 second quarter, carrying a 14-point lead into halftime.
The Bucks won the third 25-19 to create some separation, taking a 20-point lead into the fourth. The Bucks took the fourth 33-29; the Bucks finished the job for a 123-99 regulation win.
Why it was lopsided
The Bucks got more from their shots, finishing at 55.4% effective field-goal shooting compared with 40.6% for the Mavericks. The Bucks grabbed 25% of their own misses, while the Mavericks recovered 23%. That shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
The Mavericks did win one battle, ball security: TOV% of 12.9 against 14.9. The Bucks made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 108 possessions per team, the Bucks produced 114 points per 100 possessions to 91.8 for the Mavericks.
The Bucks' reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 53-39.
Who stood out
Ryan Rollins was the game's biggest individual force for MIL: 24 pts, 7 reb, 9 ast on 8-14 shooting. His Game Score of 23 led everyone. His team was +33 with him on the floor.
Cooper Flagg led the Mavericks with 19 pts, 10 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl on 6-19 shooting, good for a 12.7 Game Score.
Ousmane Dieng (11 pts, 10 reb, 5 ast) and Cooper Flagg (19 pts, 10 reb, 3 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 62% for the Bucks.
Across the last 3 meetings in our records, Milwaukee Bucks lead 3-0.
The Bucks are now 30-45, and the Mavericks are 24-52. The Bucks last five before this game: W-L-L-L-L.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.