Dallas Mavericks Face Milwaukee Bucks Shorthanded As Klay Thompson Joins Growing Injury Report

MILWAUKEE — The Dallas Mavericks will carry a battered roster into Fiserv Forum on Tuesday night, facing the Milwaukee Bucks on the second night of a back-to-back with their injury report still heavily populated.

Klay Thompson has been downgraded to doubtful for rest, removing one of the Mavericks’ top perimeter weapons from an already thin rotation. P.J. Washington and Naji Marshall, both sidelined by illness since Monday’s contest, remain out. Marvin Bagley III will miss another game due to a left shoulder impingement, and Caleb Martin (right plantar fascia strain) remains sidelined. Kyrie Irving (left knee surgery) and Dereck Lively II (right foot surgery) continue their long-term absences.

The back-to-back comes one night after a difficult 124-94 home loss to the Timberwolves, in which Minnesota used a 19-2 first-quarter run to take control and never looked back. The Timberwolves led by as many as 33 points in the fourth quarter.

Brandon Williams acknowledged the quick turnaround directly but showed no hesitation about the group’s readiness.

“We’re professionals,” Williams said. “It’s nothing we haven’t done before, especially on back-to-backs this year. So we should be ready for it.”

Daniel Gafford Carries The Load

Daniel Gafford provided the brightest spot in Monday’s loss, finishing with 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting and eight rebounds in his return from a two-game absence with a right shoulder sprain. The performance was also historically significant — Gafford reached 4,000 career points against Minnesota, a milestone he framed with characteristic perspective.

“I’m just grateful to be able to play the game every day,” Gafford said. “I’m just blessed by our good Lord and Savior just to be able to breathe and say that I’m an NBA player. I take that with pride, and I just come out night in, night out and give my all. I thank all the people that have pushed me to be in this position — my family, my coaches, everything — because if it wasn’t for any of them, I wouldn’t be here.”

It was Gafford’s second career game with multiple 20-point performances after a shoulder injury, and the second time this season he has recorded back-to-back 20-point games. Since entering the league in 2019-20, his 71.0 field goal percentage leads all players in the NBA.

“He was good. Looked good, looked springy,” Williams said of Gafford. “I like him back in that mode. Trying to feed him the ball, get him some easy points to start off.”

Gafford identified physicality and pace as the formula heading into Milwaukee.

“Really just physicality and just pretty much playing with the pace that we play with all the time,” Gafford told Dallas Hoops Journal. “Whenever we have been in a position of just like all of our wins, like being the faster team. And of course being the most physical team.”

Cooper Flagg Bounces Back From Difficult Night

Cooper Flagg shot 5-of-19 from the field against Minnesota, starting one for his first 10 attempts against a defense that was deliberately physical with him throughout. Head coach Jason Kidd attributed the struggles directly to the Timberwolves‘ playoff-caliber preparation.

“They were physical with Coop, understanding they’re getting ready for the playoffs,” Kidd said. “In the first half, they were really physical with him on the screens and stuff. I thought in the second half he was better.”

Still, Flagg finished with 12 points, four rebounds, and two blocks. He is averaging 20.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 4.6 assists across 63 starts this season and has recorded eight career 30-point games — third-most by a teenager in NBA history, trailing only LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony. He has also compiled 11 career 20-point halves, more than the rest of this year’s rookie class combined, per Elias Sports Bureau.

Williams showed the kind of veteran creativity around Flagg that has defined the season. On one sequence Monday, he declined an open layup to instead throw an alley-oop pass to Flagg to get him going.

“Just wanted to get him going any type of way,” Williams said. “I know he was kind of struggling, came up to me during the game. It’s like, I need him going. Just give him an easy look.”

Williams has posted five-plus assists in six of his last eight games. Kidd credited his continued development as a playmaker.

“His decision-making of getting guys the ball — he’s doing that at a very high level,” Kidd said. “Coming down the stretch in Portland, he made some really key passes. Instead of him being able to score, he found Max on a pick-and-roll. So I think his development in running the team has grown here.”

Gafford sees the ongoing challenges as developmental fuel for his young teammate.

“It helps him understand how physical it gets around postseason play,” Gafford told Dallas Hoops Journal. “Every night you’re going to have the best defender on you, teams trying to get into your airspace and make everything tough. With the type of player Coop is, it’s only going to help him in the long run because he’s going to learn from it and develop into a better player.”

Tuesday in Milwaukee is one of six remaining chances for Flagg to add to his ROY case.

Dallas Mavericks’ Home Losing Streak Looms

Monday’s result extended Dallas’s home losing streak to 13 games — the longest in American Airlines Center’s 25-year history and the longest since the franchise dropped its first 19 games at the since-demolished Reunion Arena to begin the 1993-94 season. The road trip to Milwaukee offers an opportunity to reset.

Milwaukee Bucks Bring A Foe With Nothing To Lose

The Bucks enter Tuesday having lost four straight and 10 of their last 12, with their nine-consecutive-season playoff streak coming to an end. Giannis Antetokounmpo has been shut down, and Kevin Porter Jr. is also out. Myles Turner is available, and Kyle Kuzma is listed as probable after sitting out Sunday’s 127-113 home loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. Gary Trent Jr. led Milwaukee with 36 points in that contest.

Dallas has lost seven straight to Milwaukee and four of its last five trips to Fiserv Forum. The teams met earlier this season in a 116-114 Bucks victory at American Airlines Center in November, with Flagg posting 26 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists in the loss.

Tuesday’s game was originally scheduled for January 25 before a North Texas ice storm forced a postponement.

Dallas Mavericks Official Injury Report: Tuesday At Milwaukee Bucks

• Marvin Bagley III (left shoulder impingement) — OUT
• Kyrie Irving (left knee surgery) — OUT
• Dereck Lively II (right foot surgery) — OUT
• Caleb Martin (right plantar fascia strain) — OUT
• Naji Marshall (illness) — OUT
• P.J. Washington (illness) — OUT
• Klay Thompson (rest) — DOUBTFUL
• Moussa Cissé (G League/Two-Way) — QUESTIONABLE
• John Poulakidas (G League/Two-Way) — PROBABLE
• Tyler Smith (G League/Two-Way) — PROBABLE

Next Up

The Mavericks visit the Bucks at Fiserv Forum on Tuesday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT.

More Dallas Mavericks Coverage Before the Milwaukee Bucks Game

• ‘Keep Him Off The Rim’: Shorthanded Dallas Mavericks Face Stiffest Test Yet As Anthony Edwards Returns For Minnesota Timberwolves
• ‘A Mismatch Nightmare’: How Marvin Bagley III Provided The Structural Engine For The Dallas Mavericks’ Win In Portland
• ‘He Was Hunting’: How Cooper Flagg Reclaimed Rhythm To Snap Dallas Mavericks’ Skid In Portland
• ‘We Don’t Talk About Rookie Of The Year’: Cooper Flagg And Kon Knueppel Keep Duke Brotherhood Above The Race
• ‘He’s Doing The Right Thing’: Jason Kidd Endorses Naji Marshall For Dallas Mavericks Contract Extension
• Dallas Mavericks Coach Jason Kidd Calls Cooper Flagg The ‘Clear-Cut’ NBA Rookie Of The Year