And to Top It All Off, the Mavericks Lose ... To the Bucks

Cowboys lose to Eagles? Check. Rangers lose Cliff Lee? Check. Mavericks lose to the medicore Milwaukee Bucks? No way in hell. Check?! I was hoping the Mavericks, who had their 12-game winning streak snapped in a head-scratching 103-99 loss, could push it to 15 entering Monday's game against the Heat...

By Richie Whitt

December 14, 2010

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Cowboys lose to Eagles? Check.

Rangers lose Cliff Lee? Check.

Mavericks lose to the medicore Milwaukee Bucks? ~~No way in hell.~~ Check?!

I was hoping the Mavericks, who had their 12-game winning streak snapped in a head-scratching 103-99 loss, could push it to 15 entering Monday's game against the Heat in Miami. But blowing big leads finally caught up with Dallas.

In recent home games they let a 21-point lead dwindle to five against the New Jersey Nets and last Saturday they coughed up all of a 25-point lead against Utah before surviving.

Again last night the Mavs were great early, building a 42-22 lead. But ...

With an 88-83 lead midway through the fourth, the Mavs got stagnant and allowed the under-.500 Bucks to go on a 14-0 run and steal a win at American Airlines Center. Dirk Nowitzki led Dallas with 30 points (getting minimal help from Caron Butler, again) but missed an open 8-footer in the lane that would've tied it at 101 in the final minute.

Weird, because the Mavs are again a better team on the road this season. Don't know if it's the crowd's lethargy or what, but Dallas has developed a troubling tendency of letting teams back in games in their own building.

Really good teams go on 12-game winning streaks. But great teams never give up 20-point leads at home.

Just twists the knife in an awful 24-hour wound for metroplex sports fans.

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