Mavs Game Observations: Preseason Finale vs Bucks

Vibes and order restored at the right time

Photo by Ron Jenkins / Getty Images

That’s a wrap! The Mavericks finally notched a preseason win on their fourth try, defeating the Milwaukee Bucks 109-84 in the preseason finale.

With the regular season kicking off next Thursday against the Spurs, that’s it for my preseason coverage. Starting then, I’ll dive into more detailed game previews and post-game breakdowns. As always, the goal is to have these observations from the previous night’s game delivered straight to your inbox by the next morning.

You can find all game previews and observations in the dedicated 2024-25 Game Coverage section of the digginbasketball website.

---

Today’s notes:

1. Kyrie back = order and structure restored

2. Order and consistency = first Klay scoring wave

3. Different Lively = difference maker (🎞️VIDEO)

Bonus short notes on: Grimes’ and Gafford’s rebounding, Dinwiddie’s layup woes, and O-Max highlight reel

Let’s dig in!

---

1-Kyrie back = order and structure restored

In my previous game notes, my first observation was "No Luka, no Kyrie, no order." Dončić was still out last night, but with Irving back (for a half), much of the order and structure on offense was restored. Irving looked great in the first quarter, scoring 12 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting. But more importantly, even though others missed several open looks and even dunks, the Mavs' offense finally resembled a real NBA offense for the first time this preseason.

I love the starting backcourt mix of Irving alongside two off-ball movement shooters like Thompson and Grimes. With that setup, the Mavs ran a variety of set plays, featuring a mix of away screens and pin-downs for one of the guards. It was a nice alternative to the usual pick-and-roll heavy, read-and-react style they rely on when Dončić is running the show. I can’t remember the last time I had 15 set plays in my game notes for a single quarter, like I did for the opening period last night. Although Thompson couldn’t make a shot in the first quarter, the ability to run a completely different type of offense should have Mavs fans excited for the non-Luka, Kyrie and Klay minutes moving forward.

2-Order and consistency = first Klay scoring wave

In my game preview, my first note was "Getting any consistency." The Mavs finally found some in the first half (Irving and Thompson didn’t play in the second) with rotations and roles much closer to what we can expect when the regular season starts. Consistency and structure were key to enabling Thompson’s first big scoring outburst as a Maverick. He scored 11 points, hitting three of his four three-point attempts in the second quarter. For those who followed my observations last season on Twitter, you’ll remember that I often talked about Luka and Kyrie’s scoring waves. Adding Thompson as a third punch to those waves, especially when he heats up by knocking down multiple threes in a row, could turn that wave attack into a tsunami.

The other part of finding more consistency and structure came on the defensive end. The Mavericks closed the second quarter with a lineup—Kyrie, Klay, Grimes, P.J., and Lively—that struck a good balance between offense and defense. This lineup played a big role in a run where the Mavs got at least ten consecutive stops, allowing them to push the pace and score easy buckets in transition. Yes, the Bucks rested almost all of their key rotation players, but it was still encouraging to see a glimpse of the Mavs' improved defense from last season.

3-Different Lively = difference maker (🎞️VIDEO)