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On Friday night, the Milwaukee Bucks will host the Dallas Mavericks in a highly-anticipated matchup. Both sides won on the road on Wednesday evening by nine points, the Mavs welcomed back Kristaps Porzingis in their win over the Charlotte Hornets while the Bucks beat the Detroit Pistons for the third time this year.
There will be multiple big stars on show in this fixture, with two of the league's leading MVP candidates facing off in Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Each side will be looking to their strong defenses to withhold these superstars.
Best Starting 5 between the Dallas Mavericks and the Milwaukee Bucks
Both the Dallas Mavericks and Milwaukee Bucks came out of their wins this week with their starting units unscathed. Giannis Antetokounmpo had his second triple-double of the season, bullying the weaker Detroit Pistons on his way to 22, 10 and 10.
Against Charlotte, Doncic put on an even more devastating display as he continues to get better, putting up 34 points to go with his 13 rebounds. Luka will be happy to see his teammate Kristaps Porzingis return and at just the right time. The Mavs big man will have a long night ahead of him against the Milwaukee Bucks, tasked with stopping reigning MVP Antetokounmpo.
Here we have put together the best starting five between the Dallas Mavericks and Milwaukee Bucks which, on paper, if they were to be a team, would be one of the meanest in the NBA.
Point Guard - Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks)
Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic has picked up where he left off last season in his pursuit to become the youngest winner of the NBA's MVP award. The Slovenian has had two triple-doubles already this year and is currently averaging 27.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 8.3 assists.
Doncic is one of the most likeable players in the league as an outstanding player and leader. He plays basketball as it should be, with joy, which is portrayed throughout the togetherness of the Dallas Mavericks team who came close to overcoming the more powerful LA Clippers in last year's playoffs.
This season, Dallas is expected to take the West by storm esepecially with an MVP candidate at the helm. Now that Doncic's offense partner has returned, Kristaps Porzingis, there will be less pressure on the young star's shoulders.
Shooting Guard - Jrue Holiday (Milwaukee Bucks)
Acquired in the offseason to help bolster the Milwaukee Bucks roster on both ends of the floor, Jrue Holiday is already repaying the faith his new side placed in him as a player who can seriously improve their title hopes. Holiday earned this move by being one of the league's elite two-way players and has been named to the NBA All-Defensive Team on two occasions.
The shooting guard is averaging 2.2 steals to start the season and on the other end has provided 15.2 points per game. Given the Milwaukee Bucks' strength in depth, coach Budenholzer has been able to provide ample rest for his best players in preparation for the postseason. Now that we have seen what Holiday can add to the Bucks, there are high hopes for Milwaukee's playoff hopes.
Small Forward - Khris Middleton (Milwaukee Bucks)
Giannis Antetokounmpo's right-hand man throughout his career in Milwaukee has been Khris Middleton who only in the past few years has begun to earn the respect he deserves. Middleton is a two-time All-Star who is averaging career-highs in both points (21.6) and rebounds (6.3) so far this season.
What usually goes unnoticed about Middleton's game is his high-percentage, consistent shooting. The 29-year-old is currently shooting at 54 percent, an increase of five percentage points over last season, which includes 47 percent from the three-point line. Its fair to say that with Middleton, Antetokounmpo and Holiday, the Bucks have one of the best two-way big threes in the league.
Power Forward - Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks)
After signing an enormous contract extension with the Milwaukee Bucks in the offseason, Giannis Antetokounmpo is determined to bring home a championship for the franchise that showed so much faith in him.
In parallel with his MVP rival - Luka Doncic - Giannis has also had two triple-doubles so far this season and is averaging 26.2 points and 10 rebounds. The power forward does it all for the Bucks and leads by example on both ends of the floor.
Not only does he have the athleticism to rival the greats with his two-step dribble from the 3-point arc to rim, the Greek is also a defensive menace. The power forward was named Defensive Player of the Year last season yet is currently averaging more blocks and steals after the opening 11 games of this year.
Center - Kristaps Porzingis (Dallas Mavericks)
Coach Carlisle summed Porzingis' return to the Dallas Mavericks perfectly on Wednesday night when he said it was a 'game changer'. The Mavs beat the Hornets 104-93 in what was the Latvian star's first start this season after recovering from knee surgery.
Porzingis played 21 minutes, during which he scored 16 points and picked up four rebounds. At 7-foot-3, the 25-year-old is easily able to shoot the ball over smaller defenders and secured two blocks on the defensive end.
In last season's playoffs, Porzingis was forced out of the Dallas Mavericks' first round matchup against the Clippers after Game 3 and wouldn't return. His absence was inevitably crushing to the Mavs who went on to lose the series and will have scores to settle this time around.
