3 things to watch as the Milwaukee Bucks visit Dallas

Despite the Dallas Mavericks falling to 0-2 in pre-season, there’s plenty of hope for the season. All that’s left is getting through these final three games without anyone getting hurt and all of us not overreacting to every little thing. Which shouldn’t be too hard, right?

How long do the stars play?

This is a recurring question from here on out. Everyone saw what they needed to on Wednesday night, but the games are scheduled so they might as well play basketball. Luka Doncic played 28 minutes, which is more than I would’ve predicted. Kristaps Porzingis played 19 minutes, just enough to show he’s worth every bit of the wait and expectations.

As of now, the ESPN injury report has Porzingis sitting.

Who guards Giannis Antetokounmpo?

Another recurring question, only this one applies from now until the day he retires. If you haven’t seen the once and future MVP, here’s him destroying worlds earlier in the week:

In order, I predict the Mavericks will sacrifice Maxi Kleber, the Dorian Finney-Smith, and then maybe Justin Jackson if Giannis plays that long.

When does Josh Reaves play?

Reaves played 24 minutes in the first game against the Thunder which saw 16 different Mavericks suit up. He managed to get six minutes against the Pistons as well. The undrafted, defensive minded guard is exactly the kind of player the Mavericks need to develop. While it’s impossible to say if he’ll see much time with Dallas as opposed to Frisco, it’s hard not to read into these minutes when Reaves gets them.

Hopefully, he’ll get significant minutes tomorrow night because I really like watching him play.

How to watch

The game tips off in Dallas at 7:30 pm CST. It’s on both FoxSports Southwest and NBA League Pass (that includes the app as well).