On Wednesday, the Dallas Mavericks had their three-game win streak ended by the Chicago Bulls, losing 117-107 in Chicago.
The Bulls’ lights-out shooting was the story of the game. Chicago hit an impressive 50.6 percent of their shot attempts, including 48.4 percent of their three-point attempts.
Lonzo Ball led Chicago’s hot shooting night by hitting on an impressive 7 of 10 three-point attempts.
Zach Lavine made both of his three-point attempts on the night, and Alex Caruso came off the bench to make 3 of 4 from three-point range. In total, Chicago made 15 of their 31 three-point attempts on the night.
Dallas, on the other hand, had a tough night shooting the ball. The Mavericks made only 12 of 33 three-point attempts on the night. Luka Doncic, in particular, could not find his shooting touch, primarily due to a solid collective defensive effort by the Bulls.
Chicago had multiple defenders, including Lorenzo Ball, defending Doncic all night and forced him into several tough shots. Doncic finished with 20 points on 6 of 18 shooting and made only one out of six three-point attempts.
When asked what he thought about his performance postgame, Doncic said: “Bad. All the way. I think the shots, they don’t fall. I should have taken better shots. I know I always say this, but honestly, I’ve got to do it, not just say it.”
The start of the game was rough for the Mavericks as they missed ten of their first 12 shot attempts. Slow starts have been a common theme for Dallas so far this season. Meanwhile, behind nine quick points from Nikola Vucevic, the Bulls raced out to a 24-13 lead with 4:39 remaining in the first.
The Mavericks were to find some momentum halfway through the opening quarter. Dallas closed out the quarter on a 24-8 run to lead 33-32 after the first. The momentum swung in Dallas’ favor when the Mavericks reserves, led by Jalen Brunson, entered the game.
During his seven minutes on the court in the first quarter, Brunson scored eight points. Dallas was also buoyed by hitting 12 of 13 free-throw attempts in the opening quarter.
The teams went back and forth to start the second quarter. The Mavericks went ahead by seven points early in the second, but the Bulls caught fire and charged to an eight-point lead. Ball and Lavine combined to make 7 of 8 three-point attempts in the first half, and the Bulls led 61-54 at the half.
Both teams were hot to start the third quarter, as they combined to make 6 of 6 three-pointers to start the half. However, the Maverick’s offense lost its rhythm, while Chicago scorched the Mavericks from the three-point range.
Dallas was only trailing by four with 4:28 left in the third quarter, but the Bulls blew the game open with a 15-4 run to end the quarter. Chicago led 95-80 to start the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the Mavericks could not threaten the Bulls, as Chicago held them off with excellent all-around performance. The Bulls finished with five players scoring double figures and out-rebounded the Mavs 46-43. Chicago also had nine steals that led to 16 fast break points.
Dallas’ record dropped to 7-4 with the loss. Kristaps Porzingis finished as the Mavericks’ leading scorer with 22 points. Tim Hardaway Jr. added 21 points, including four second-half threes that kept the game from being a total blowout. Brunson finished with 12 points and seven assists off the bench.
The Bulls improved to 8-3 on the season, tied for the best record in the Eastern Conference. They were led by 23 points from Lavine and 21 points from Ball.
Vucevic finished with 18 points and ten rebounds, while Alex Caruso also came up big, adding 16 points and recording six of Chicago’s nine steals on the night.
Dallas will play the Spurs for the third time this season when they go to San Antonio on Friday.
