Dallas Mavericks (7-3) at Milwaukee Bucks (5-2)
To say the Dallas Mavericks had an eventful Sunday night would be an understatement.
Playing the third game of a four-game road trip, the Mavericks found out just before tip that they would be without their starting center, Erick Dampier, against the Detroit Pistons. Dampier left the court and headed for the locker room just after pregame warm-ups with a sudden illness, before eventually leaving the arena and checking in at a local hospital for precautionary reasons accompanied by Head Athletic Trainer Casey Smith. Dampier didn't travel with the team to Milwaukee, staying in Detroit for further testing though his symptoms have subsided.
Already without swingman Josh Howard (left ankle), the Mavs once again inserted rookie Rodrigue Beaubois into the starting lineup along with Drew Gooden, who stepped in for Dampier in his first start of the season. The result was a career-high night from Beaubois (14 points on 6-of-6 shooting in just 19 minutes), a double-double from Gooden (11 points and 11 rebounds) and a 95-90 road win as all five starters scored in double figures.
(Photo by Garrett W. Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
The Beaubois-Jennings matchup is one to watch Monday night
Just a day later, the Mavs have to try to duplicate that success against an upstart Bucks squad headlined by rookie Brandon Jennings. Jennings leads all rookies in scoring at 25.6 points per game. The rookie is a threat every time he laces up a pair of sneakers, gaining the basketball world's attention with his 55-point night against the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night in a 129-125 Milwaukee win. Jennings' "double-nickel" ranks fifth all-time in NBA history for scoring barrages by a rookie.
Now, the Mavs' rookie Beaubois and Jennings will go toe-to-toe on the big stage and something figures to give. Both young guards possess an uncanny ability to use explosive quickness to get anywhere on the court at will. While Jennings has led Milwaukee to four straight wins, Beaubois' presence in the Dallas starting lineup has lifted the Mavs to back-to-back wins on the road.
The two rookies met this past July in the NBA's Summer League, with Beaubois recording eight points on 4-of-9 shooting while dishing out two assists, compared to Jennings' 10 points on 3-of-12 shooting. The two have certainly come a long way since July.
Dallas and Milwaukee meet Monday night, with the game airing on FSN Southwest and NBA TV at 7:00 p.m. CT.
Dallas returns to the American Airlines Center on Oct. 18, when the Mavs host the San Antonio Spurs, after the Spurs handed Dallas a 92-83 road loss last Wednesday night. The game will air locally on KTXA 21 and KTXA 21 HD and nationally on ESPN at 8:30 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS.
The Mavericks and the NBA have introduced the official NBA All-Star game ballot, featuring Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Josh Howard, Shawn Marion and Jason Terry. For more on how to vote for your favorite Mavs for the All-Star game, to be held at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, visit Mavs.com.
Follow Mavs.com’s Earl K. Sneed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/EarlKSneed.
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