3 encouraging takeaways from Dallas Mavericks loss to Bucks

The Dallas Mavericks fell to the Milwaukee Bucks 124-115 on Sunday night. It was their fourth straight loss, including dropping both contests in their back-to-back set. Superstar Luka Doncic had a 27-point double-double, but it was just not enough on Nov. 27.

The Mavs found their offense in Milwaukee, but they struggled mightily on the defensive end of the floor. Dallas had zero answers for Giannis Antetokounmpo, but no team does. The Bucks had six players in double-figures and shot 55.8 percent from field and 45.9 percent from 3-point range. Grayson Allen’s 25 points, including seven 3-pointers made, were key in the Bucks' victory.

After a discouraging loss to the Raptors on Saturday night, there were plenty of positives to take away from the Mavericks' performance in Milwaukee. They fought hard on the second night of a back-to-back against one of the best teams in the league, but Dallas did not quite have enough to win. Here is a look at three positives.

Takeaway from Dallas Mavericks loss to Bucks: 3. Offense

The Mavs offense had been sputtering coming into Sunday’s game. They had scored 100 or fewer points in three of their last five games before traveling to Milwaukee, but Dallas got back on track against the Bucks. The Mavericks had 96 points after 36 minutes as they finally found their 3-point shots.

Luka Doncic and company made just 31.2 percent of their over 39 3-point shots each night over the last five games. There was plenty of ugly shooting over that stretch, but that was not the case in Milwaukee as the Mavs shot 41.5 percent from outside on Sunday night to go with 51.2 percent from the field.

Their 3-point shooting is key. Teams are going to try to force the ball out of Luka’s hands, which means plenty of open jumpers for the rest of the roster. They need to make those if they want to get back to the playoffs for the fourth straight year.