NBA leading scorer Giannis Antetokounmpo will make his first run at 2025 No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg when the Milwaukee Bucks visit the Dallas Mavericks Monday night at the American Airlines Center.
Milwaukee (6-4) will play the second straight game after losing to the Houston Rockets 122-115 on Sunday at home. Houston broke open a tie with two minutes remaining and finished the game on a 22-7 run. Antetokounmpo finished with 37 points but missed three free throws down the stretch.
Antetokounmpo entered Sunday night’s game leading the NBA in scoring with 33.4 points per game. Milwaukee was 8-8 in back-to-back games last season.
Flagg was a bright spot for the rebuilding Mavericks (3-7). The 18-year-old phenom is second on the team in scoring with 13.9 points and 6.6 rebounds per game as he adjusts to life in the NBA.
“You know everyone is going to be physical with you, so if you’re not willing to use your gut and play with your physicality yourself, you can’t really get anywhere,” Flagg told the Dallas Morning News after Saturday’s win over the Washington Wizards. “So, I just found out about this.”
Flagg had 12 points and six assists in the Mavericks’ 111-105 victory. He’s shooting 96 percent from the free throw line.
“I thought for a while he was just taking control of the game with the passing, with the pace, and being able to find teammates,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said of Flagg. “I thought he did a high level of that when we needed it, his confidence in making a play for a teammate.”
The Mavericks’ 3-7 start is their worst start through 10 games since the 2018-19 season. The Mavs are still without Kyrie Irving, who suffered a torn ACL in March. Klay Thompson missed Saturday night’s game due to illness and Derek Lively II missed his sixth game with a sprained knee.
Dallas received some good news regarding star center Anthony Davis, who has missed the last five games with a calf strain. He was upgraded to questionable for Saturday’s game against Washington, but did not play.
Milwaukee has won six straight games against the Mavericks, with Dallas’ last victory in the series dating back to April 3, 2022. Dallas ranks last in the NBA in points per game with 106.5. The Bucks game is the first of a four-game home series for Dallas.
–Field level media
