Cooper Flagg, Mavericks take aim at Bucks

Rookie Cooper Flagg and the struggling Dallas Mavericks take on another team going through a tough stretch on Tuesday when they visit the Milwaukee Bucks.

A five-game losing skid for Dallas came to an end when they took down the Trail Blazers in Portland on Friday. The Mavericks (24-51), however, failed to keep the momentum going as they dropped a 124-94 decision to the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday.

Daniel Gafford led Dallas with 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting along with eight rebounds. Brandon Williams scored 15 points off the bench with seven assists while Flagg added 12 points on just 5-of-19 shooting.

Mavericks coach Jason Kidd described what his team needed to do against a physical Timberwolves team.

"You have to be physical back," he said. "Understanding different styles. You understand the referees. The whistle might not be blowing that night, so you just have to make that adjustment."

Milwaukee (29-45) lost its fourth in a row and 14th in 17 games on Sunday with a 127-113 setback to the visiting Los Angeles Clippers.

Gary Trent Jr. led the Bucks with a 36-point outburst, a season high for the veteran who has at times fallen out of the starting rotation.

"(Trent's) coming on, man, playing the right way," Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers said. "Making shots off the dribble, in the paint, he's got a competitiveness to him that helps our team."

On the injury front, the reports are lengthy on both sides. Dallas was without Naji Marshall (illness), Marvin Bagley III (shoulder), Caleb Martin (heel) and P.J. Washington (illness) on Monday night.

Milwaukee has ruled out Giannis Antetokounmpo (knee), Bobby Portis (wrist), Kevin Porter Jr. (knee), Gary Harris (personal) and Thanasis Antetokounmpo (calf) for Tuesday's game. Kyle Kuzma (Achilles) and Ryan Rollins (hip) are both listed as probable.

Giannis Antetokounmpo no longer qualifies among Milwaukee's statistical leaders on the season, leaving Rollins' 17.0 points and 5.6 assists per game tops on the team along with Portis' 6.4 rebounds.

Giannis Antetokounmpo's status was put into question after the NBAPA issued a statement that appeared to call out the Bucks for sitting the superstar who wanted to return to play despite the team now being eliminated from contention.

Last week, Rivers said the star player was "progressing" but "he's just not healthy." Rivers was clear that he is not being held out of games.

Meanwhile the lead story for the remainder of the year in Dallas may be if Flagg can come back in the race for the Rookie of the Year award against his former Duke teammate Kon Knueppel of the Charlotte Hornets. Flagg leads Dallas, averaging 20.3 points this season along with contributing 6.5 rebounds and 4.6 assists.

Milwaukee has won seven consecutive games against the Mavericks, including a 116-114 thriller in Dallas all the way back in November.

Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 30 points, eight rebounds and six assists while Kuzma added 26 off the bench. It was an early standout game for Flagg, who scored 26 with nine rebounds.