The Mavericks have had their share of bad luck this season with injuries and whatnot. Maybe enough for several teams.

Now, they’re suffering through a stretch of bad timing, too.

They will see the Milwaukee Bucks Saturday evening and they’ll be catching Giannis Antetokounmpo and Co. when they’re on a pretty impressive stretch of play.

The Bucks have won five of six and have looked like a different team since they traded away Khris Middleton for Kyle Kuzma before the deadline and also picked up Kevin Porter Jr. in a separate deal.

Seeing the Bucks when they are just starting to figure things out – and this is after many people wrote them off when they were 26-22 and had lost four in a row before the trade deadline – comes after the Mavericks visited Golden State for Jimmy Butler’s home debut with the Warriors, then Luka Dončić’s first game against his former team.

It has not been an easy stretch.

And the injuries that they are fighting through have not helped.

They have, however, found some consistency in a couple areas. Kyrie Irving continues to be a rock, playing the role of the superstar and leader of the team perfectly. He is coming off of a season-best nine rebounds on Thursday in addition to 25 points when the Mavericks eked out a 103-96 win against Charlotte. That win stopped the two-game losing streak that they suffered on their West Coast trip.

“He’s been very consistent here,” coach Jason Kidd said. “You can never take for granted any star or anybody who is in uniform. They all play their part to help the team win. His calmness and energy is a high and the guys play off of that. You could see that in this (Charlotte) game.”

The other consistent contributions have come from newcomer Max Christie, who in 10 games with the Mavericks is averaging 14 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists. He’s shooting 45.7 percent from three-point range, which obliterates anything he’s ever done before in his career.

Credit Irving for setting up a lot of those shots.

“Christie’s done a great job for us since he’s been here and I think the future is extremely bright,” Kidd said. “He’s 22 years old, he understands how to play the game and how to play with stars. We’re lucky to have him.”

Here’s what else to watch for when the Bucks visit on Saturday:

• Bucks forward Bobby Portis is serving a 25-game NBA suspension for violation of the league’s anti-drug policy. He tested positive for a pain-killer and the key member of the Bucks’ rotation will be out until late in the regular season. He was averaging 13.7 points and 8.3 rebounds.
• This will be the final game for Moses Brown. The 7-2 center had 20 points and 11 rebounds, his first 20-point game since 2021 with Oklahoma City and his first double-double with the Mavericks. Because of financial constraints, the Mavericks cannot offer a second 10-day contract to Brown.
• The Bucks are in the heat of a battle for a home-court advantage in the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. Going into Friday’s games, they trailed Indiana by half a game for fourth place and were only one-half game ahead of Detroit in sixth place.
• Damian Lillard has been a force for the Bucks, averaging 25.5 points and 7.4 assists. Antetokounmpo averages 31 points and 12 rebounds.

MILAUKEE BUCKS (33-26) at DALLAS MAVERICKS (32-28)

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

WHERE: American Airlines Center, Dallas.

TV: KFAA 29, MAVSTV STREAM.

RADIO: KEGL 97.1 FM, 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish)

X: @ESefko