The Smoking Cuban
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Dallas Mavericks start Preseason with Thriller in Victory

By Aaron Reed

DALLAS, TX - APRIL 7: Yogi Ferrell #11 of the Dallas Mavericks dribbles the ball up court against the San Antonio Spurs on April 7, 2017 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Danny Bollinger/NBAE via Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX - APRIL 7: Yogi Ferrell #11 of the Dallas Mavericks dribbles the ball up court against the San Antonio Spurs on April 7, 2017 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Danny Bollinger/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Dallas Mavericks begin the preseason 1-0,  following a thrilling finish that leads to a win Monday night against the Milwaukee Bucks, 106-104.

What a way to start a brand new NBA season!

The Dallas Mavericks defended home court against the Milwaukee Bucks Monday night at the American Airlines Center.  All eyes were on new Maverick Dennis Smith, Jr. as he  made his official debut appearance in front of a live crowd.

Butterflies can appear for rookies, as it seemed the young, talented point guard couldn’t find a rhythm finishing 1-5 from the field, his only points coming from a 3 pointer. Dirk Nowitzki continued to look ageless as he finished with 5 points in 9 minutes. Harrison Barnes finished a good 4-6, collecting 9 points and 2 rebounds, while Seth Curry contributed with 8 points and Wes Matthews in addition with 4.

Nerlens Noel finished with 5 points playing only 15 minutes as the 6th man. Dwight Powell showed positive minutes off the bench, going 4-6 with 9 points and 3 rebounds. Yogi-Mania continued to electrify the team as he did last year, as he finished with the most points with 12.

DALLAS, TX – OCTOBER 2: Dirk Nowitzki #41 of the Dallas Mavericks gets introduced before the preseason game against the Milwaukee Bucks on October 2, 2017 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Danny Bollinger/NBAE via Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX – OCTOBER 2: Dirk Nowitzki #41 of the Dallas Mavericks gets introduced before the preseason game against the Milwaukee Bucks on October 2, 2017 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Danny Bollinger/NBAE via Getty Images) /

The Milwaukee Bucks’ young, up and coming team were adamant to put up a fight. Still in a rebuilding stage, they look to finally have some cornerstone pieces to help elevate them in the future. Khris Middleton finished with 12, while John Henson put up 11 points with 4 rebounds. Rashad Vaughn, the shooting guard from UNLV, lead both teams in scoring finishing with 20.

The game went back and forth all four quarters. Everything got extremely tight when Gary Payton II got called for a loose ball foul with 1:28 left in the game. Down by 2, Johnathan Motley made both free throws, tying the game at 102-102. Sterling Brown missed a 22-footer and Maalik Wayns made a shot with 0:33 left to go.

Two points away from tying, Kendall Marshall assists Rashad Vaughn for a jumper that ties the game at 104-104. With only 0:10 left in the game, Maalik Wayns blows past two defenders and finds Johnathan Motley down low for the go ahead layup. This puts the Mavericks up 106-104, with 0:04 left to play.

In conclusion, time expires, the crowd cheers and Mavs fans realize what they’ve just seen. This is the beginning of the new era; the post-Dirk era is officially nearing the horizon and it really seems like it doesn’t look too bad.

Next: New Mavericks Locker Room Unlike Anything in Sports

The Dallas Mavericks will host the Chicago Bulls Wednesday at 7:30 at the American Airlines Center.

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