Instant Reactions: Giannis Antetokounmpo pushes the Bucks past the Mavericks

The energy was palpable before tipoff at the American Airlines Center.

Reports of a rift between the Dallas Mavericks organization and general manager Nico Harrison swirled before the game, stemming from the team’s 3-7 start and criticism of the Luka Doncic trade.

According to reports from ALLCITY Network’s Marc Stein and The Athletic’s Tim Cato, team owner Patrick Dumont had discussed potential replacements for Harrison, including former Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers. Myers, who has since joined Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, the ownership group of the Philadelphia 76ers.

Dumont arrived more than an hour before tipoff, watching pregame warmups from his suite before taking a courtside seat. Harrison, meanwhile, observed the game from his new seat location this season.

Early in the game, the arena crowd was noticeably subdued. But back-to-back 3-pointers from Klay Thompson, who’s been in one of the worst shooting slumps of his career,  and a D’Angelo Russell layup jolted the building to life.

Still, the spark wasn’t enough to carry Dallas. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Milwaukee Bucks to a hard-fought win over the Mavericks, 116-114, on Monday night.

Cooper Flagg gave Dallas a one-point lead with 28.7 seconds remaining after finishing a tough layup.. But Milwaukee’s Ryan Rollins answered with a layup seconds later. P.J. Washington had a chance to tie the game from the free-throw line but missed two of his three attempts as time expired.

The Mavericks dropped to 3-8, losing five of their last six games.