A perfect example of his ability was on display Wednesday when Bogut put on a stunning show and had a career-best night in Milwaukee's trip to Dallas.

The Bucks fell just short of the victory, suffering an agonising 108-107 defeat to the high-flying Mavericks, but it wasn't from any lack of effort from the big Australian.

Bogut was the star of the show, nailing a career-high 32 points on a stunning 13-of-14 from the floor and 6-of-8 from the free-throw line.

He also added nine rebounds and a block and showed his full arsenal of offensive moves, including a host of jumphooks, baseline jumpshots and finishing an alley-oop pass from rookie guard Brandon Jennings.

Carlos Delfino missed a tough running shot on the buzzer as the Bucks couldn't quite pull off the upset, but Bogut still received plenty of plaudits.

"He drove the ball, had both of his hands working and had a very good all-around game,'' Bucks head coach Scott Skiles said.

Bogut hit all nine of his field goals in a flawless first half, finally missing his one and only shot to start the third quarter.

He was a constant headache for opposing Dallas centre Erick Dampier.

"He's a great defender," Bogut said.

"He is very, very strong if I try to back him down, so I try to catch the ball a bit further out and then try to go off the dribble.

"For most of the night, it worked for me."

The seven-foot tall Australian has carried the weight of expectation that came with being the 2005 No.1 overall pick in the draft and a mixture of inconsistent form and injuries prevented him from fully justifying that selection.

But this season, Bogut is firmly establishing himself among the better big men in the game.

He is averaging 16 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game, a stat line that leaves him in highly-impressive company.

Of the more than 360 players in the NBA, Bogut and Orlando superstar Dwight Howard are the only two to average more than 15 points, 10 boards and two blocks per game.

Bogut will try to continue his hot form and keep the Bucks in the playoff hunt when they host Philadelphia.