Dallas Mavericks at Milwaukee Bucks

DAL @ MIL — March 31, 2026 | 8:00 PM ET | Fiserv Forum

Game Context

This is a make-up game at Fiserv Forum (originally rescheduled due to winter storms, per Brew Hoop). Both teams are officially eliminated from playoff contention, making this a development/evaluation game for each franchise. The Bucks ended their 10-year playoff streak this season — eliminated officially on March 28 after losing to San Antonio (127-95), their 13th loss in 16 games (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, March 28).

Today's Injury Report — Dallas Mavericks

• Cooper Flagg — AVAILABLE (not on injury report as of March 30-31; confirmed playing per TotalProSports and Times of India March 30). He was not listed on the report and is expected in the starting lineup.
• Naji Marshall — Day-to-Day (Illness); questionable
• P.J. Washington — Day-to-Day (Illness); questionable
• Daniel Gafford — Day-to-Day (Right shoulder); questionable
• Marvin Bagley III — Day-to-Day (Left shoulder impingement)
• Caleb Martin — Day-to-Day (Right plantar fascia/foot)
• Dereck Lively II — OUT for season (knee/foot)
• Kyrie Irving — OUT for season (torn ACL) (Sources: StatMuse, SportsGrid, OddsShark injury listings March 31)

Today's Injury Report — Milwaukee Bucks

• Giannis Antetokounmpo — OUT (left knee hyperextension + bone bruise; suffered March 15; 6+ consecutive DNPs through March 28; ruled out per TWSN/JSentinel)
• Kevin Porter Jr. — Day-to-Day (Right knee synovitis; SportsGrid lists as GTD)
• Bobby Portis — Day-to-Day (Left wrist sprain)
• Kyle Kuzma — Day-to-Day (Right Achilles tendinopathy)
• Myles Turner — Day-to-Day (Knee/patella; StatMuse)
• Thanasis Antetokounmpo — Day-to-Day (Left calf)
• Gary Harris — Day-to-Day (Personal/Groin)
• Ryan Rollins — Day-to-Day (Left hip flexor) The Bucks had only 8 active players available for their March 28 loss to San Antonio (Heavy.com). MIL's probable starters in recent games: Ryan Rollins, Gary Trent Jr., Ousmane Dieng, Pete Nance, Myles Turner (JSentinel, March 28).

Rest & Travel Situation

• Dallas: Played at home vs. Minnesota on March 30 (the night before). This is a back-to-back situation — Dallas travels overnight to Milwaukee. Second night of a back-to-back, traveling East.
• Milwaukee: Last game was March 28 at home vs. San Antonio. Two days of rest heading into March 31. Rest advantage: Bucks.

Betting Market

• Kalshi odds (SportsGrid, updated 12:23 AM ET March 31): Dallas Mavericks -1.5 favorites. Total: O/U 212.5.
• OddsShark season records context: DAL is 33-41 ATS; MIL is 32-42 ATS. Dallas 5-5 ATS last 10; Milwaukee 4-6 ATS last 10.
• Key ATS trends (OddsShark): Dallas is 1-4 ATS in last 5 vs. Milwaukee. Dallas is 0-7 SU in last 7 vs. Milwaukee. Milwaukee is 2-7 ATS as a favorite (last 9 games). Total has gone OVER in 5 of MIL's last 6 home games.
• Dallas opened as a slight favorite — a notable line given their 24-51 record, reflecting Milwaukee's decimated injury situation (no Giannis, depleted roster).

Head-to-Head This Season

Per OddsShark season series data: Dallas is 0-3 SU vs. Milwaukee in 2025-26, 1-2 ATS. Milwaukee scored 128.33 PPG in those meetings; Dallas averaged 112.67 PPG. Previous results (OddsShark): Nov 10 DAL 114, MIL 116; Mar 1 DAL 117, MIL 132; Mar 5 MIL 137, DAL 107. MIL has won seven straight in the all-time series (OddsShark trends). Dallas historically struggled going 0-7 SU in last 7 vs. MIL.

Matchup Dynamics

Pace vs. Pace: Dallas plays at 4th-fastest pace in NBA (101.6); Milwaukee ranks around 27th in opponent PPG offense (111.96). With Giannis out, the Bucks lack a dominant interior defender — potentially benefiting Gafford (70.2% FG if active) and Dallas's paint-heavy offense. Flagg vs. Depleted Bucks Defense: Cooper Flagg (20.4 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 4+ APG) faces a shorthanded Milwaukee defense. His best matchups are against teams with weak interior defense. Without Giannis, the Bucks' defensive anchor is removed. Milwaukee's Offense without Giannis: MIL averages 111.96 PPG on offense (27th in NBA). Gary Trent Jr. leads a depleted rotation. Dallas's defense (~21st in points allowed) may hold up adequately. Back-to-back concern: Dallas is on the second night of a back-to-back after hosting Minnesota. Fatigue is a real factor, particularly for Flagg logging heavy minutes.

Motivation

• Dallas: Pure development — Flagg's ROY case benefits from strong individual performance. Load management is possible given back-to-back.
• Milwaukee: Doc Rivers announced "teaching" focus for final 9 games (JSentinel, March 28). Giannis's future remains a major off-season question; the Bucks are in full evaluation mode for fringe players (Green, Rollins, Nance, Dieng).
• Both teams are eliminated — low motivation game for both sides, though individual player motivations (Flagg's ROY race) add an edge for Dallas.

Milwaukee Bucks vs. Dallas Mavericks — Game-Specific Matchup (March 31, 2026)

Game Context

This is a rescheduled make-up game at Fiserv Forum (8:00 PM ET), originally postponed due to travel complications related to winter storms (Brew Hoop/OnMilwaukee, Mar 30). Both teams are fully eliminated from playoff contention: Milwaukee sits at 29-45 (11th East), Dallas at 24-50 (well outside Western Conference playoff picture). This is a tank bowl with developmental priorities on both sides.

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Injury Report — TODAY, March 31

Milwaukee Bucks — OUT:

• Giannis Antetokounmpo (PF) — Left knee hyperextension/bone bruise; ruled OUT. Has now missed 8+ consecutive games. Season over (TWSN, Mar 30).
• Ryan Rollins (SG/PG) — Left hip flexor soreness; confirmed OUT for this game (FanDuel Research, Mar 31; Heavy.com). This is the Bucks' primary offensive engine. His absence is critical — he had been averaging 17.1 PPG / 5.6 APG on the season with a career-high 36 pts at Portland March 25.
• Myles Turner (C) — Right patella tendonopathy; OUT (ProFootballNetwork, Mar 31). Previously day-to-day all March; now fully unavailable.
• Kevin Porter Jr. (PG) — Right knee synovitis; OUT (season over).
• Kyle Kuzma (SF) — Right Achilles tendonopathy; OUT (season over).
• Bobby Portis (PF) — Left wrist sprain; Day-to-Day status unclear, was OUT March 28–29.
• Gary Harris (SG) — Personal reasons; OUT.
• Thanasis Antetokounmpo (SF) — Left calf soreness; Day-to-Day.

Milwaukee Active Core: AJ Green, Ousmane Dieng, Taurean Prince, Gary Trent Jr., Jericho Sims, Pete Nance, Andre Jackson Jr. With Rollins AND Turner both out, the Bucks are reduced to roughly 7–8 active players and had to summon players from the G League's Wisconsin Herd as recently as Sunday (Heavy.com, Mar 30).

Dallas Mavericks — OUT/Sidelined:

• Kyrie Irving — Left knee surgery; OUT for season (Times of India, Mar 30; Dallas Hoops Journal).
• Dereck Lively II — Right foot surgery; OUT for season (multiple sources).
• Cooper Flagg — OFF injury report as of March 30 (Times of India, Mar 30); was cleared from earlier midfoot sprain and is expected to play.