Reigning Kia MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo sat out his third consecutive NBA game for the Milwaukee Bucks due to soreness in his left knee.
The Milwaukee Bucks dropped their second game without Giannis going down 116-101 to the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA on Thursday night.
Mavs center Kristaps Porzingis dominated with 26 points including four three-pointers, along with 17 rebounds, with Slovenian guard Luka Doncic top scoring with 27 points.
The Bucks were without two-time MVP Giannis due to knee soreness, missing his third straight game as Milwaukee slipped to 32-19.
Milwaukee produced a 14-0 run in the third with Donte DiVincenzo scoring 22 points and Bobby Portis pulling down 14 rebounds but Dallas dominated the last quarter to take out the win.
Giannis had been listed as doubtful leading up to the Bucks-Mavs showdown but he has now missed 5 of the Bucks’ last 10 games with left knee soreness.
The Bucks ruled out the two-time reigning NBA MVP about 90 minutes before tipoff at American Airlines Center. Coach Mike Budenholzer said Antetokounmpo didn’t do any pregame work and didn’t indicate when the five-time All-Star would return.
Milwaukee concluded a six-game, 11-day road trip with a physical 116-101 loss. In 45 games this season, Antetokounmpo has averaged 28.8 points, 11.4 rebounds and 6.2 assists.