Dallas Mavericks: Odds, how to watch, and more for game 26 at Bucks

The Dallas Mavericks face a single-game road trip as they travel to Milwaukee to face the Bucks on Dec. 16. Here is everything fans need to know it.

The Dallas Mavericks have a tall task in front of them on Monday night. They travel to face the top team in the Eastern Conference and the unquestioned hottest team in the NBA in the Milwaukee Bucks. The Mavs will have to do so without Luka Doncic too.

The Bucks have won 18 straight games and have the top plus/minus in the NBA. Giannis Antetokounmpo is making a strong case to repeat as MVP, and his supporting cast is dangerous.

Here is everything supporters need to know about the showdown between the Dallas Mavericks and the Milwaukee Bucks.

Start Time

Monday’s contest begins at 8:00 p.m. ET or 7:00 p.m. local time in Dallas.

How to watch

The national television audience joins as the game airs on NBA TV. Local Dallas fans can still watch on Fox Sports Southwest-Dallas. Milwaukee viewers can catch it on Fox Sports Wisconsin.

Watch online

FuboTV is the top outlet for streaming the game. Fans should consider it all season long for local and out of market action.

Odds

The Bucks enter as a -11 favorites courtesy of the Action Network. It should be no shock. They are riding an 18-game winning streak coming in.

Injury update

The Mavericks’ game notes lists Luka Doncic as not with the team. He did not make the trip to Milwaukee, so he could get treatment on his injured ankle. For more information, check here.

The NBA’s official injury report lists Eric Bledsoe (fibula) and Dragan Bender (ankle) as out for the game.

Be sure to take a look at the news just before tipoff to catch any last-minute info.

Storyline to follow: Defending Giannis

The Greek Freak won the MVP award last season and has only improved. He is averaging 31.0 points, 12.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.2 blocks in 31.1 minutes per game in 2019-2020. The Bucks are dismantling opponents, and it has allowed Coach Budenholzer to keep Giannis’ minutes down.

It will be interesting to see how Dallas goes about defending Antetokounmpo. In the preseason matchup, they used Dorian Finney-Smith and Maxi Kleber to check him. That had mixed results. The Mavericks may be forced to double team early and often on Monday night.

It will also be interesting to see if the offense looks different without Luka Doncic. He is an incredible passer and makes reads few players can, so will Coach Carlisle switch things up a bit in Milwaukee? Keep an eye on it.

The Smoking Cuban will be back after the game with plenty more from it plus analysis that is must-read for any Dallas Mavericks fan.