GAME REPORT

THREE TAKEAWAYS 1. Michael Beasley returned after missing 17 games due to a hyperextended left knee. He didn’t play until late in the third quarter and played only seven minutes, but he made an impact with seven points and four rebounds, including an and-one toward the end of the third. 2. With the victory, the Bucks closed March with a record of 14-4, just the third time in franchise history the Bucks have recorded 14 wins in a calendar month. The other two times came during the team’s championship season in 1971, when the Bucks achieved it in January and February. 3. The Pistons looked sluggish and tired to start. They were playing their fourth game in five nights, a scheduling oddity that coach Stan Van Gundy expressed frustration with before the game.

UP NEXT Teams: Dallas Mavericks (31-44) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (40-36). When: 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Where: BMO Harris Bradley Center. About the Mavericks: Dallas has lost four in a row after falling to Memphis, 99-90, on the road Friday night. Nerlens Noel has impressed since arriving in a trade deadline deal with Philadelphia. In 35 games, including 17 starts, Noel has averaged 9.1 points and 7.5 rebounds. Seth Curry, younger brother of Warriors star Stephen Curry, has thrived in a starting role for Dallas. He had 18 points in 34 minutes at New Orleans on Wednesday. Dallas won the first meeting against the Bucks, 86-75, in overtime Nov. 6. The Mavericks have won seven of the last eight against Milwaukee.