Mavericks roll past Bulls for blowout win |
DALLAS - Well, it was fun while it lasted, as the Chicago Bulls (3-5) may not be above .500 the rest of the way. That does tend to happen when you have a team that doesn't shoot well, is dealing with plenty of injuries, and doesn't know how to play the basic concepts on defense.
All of those came to fruition on Wednesday as the Bulls traveled to American Airlines Arena to take on the defending Western Conference Champion Dallas Mavericks (5-3). Not only was Zach Lavine missing his second straight game, but Lonzo Ball was also out of the lineup. The injuries have already caused some problems for this team. This was one of those games where the Bulls had some chances early, but those chances were so far and few that nothing would've mattered as the Mavericks rolled to a 119-99 win. When you look at it and dive a little deeper, the Bulls are lucky that things were even that close, but at the same time, the Bulls didn't play as bad as the final score indicates despite turning the ball over 23 times. A large portion of those turnovers came during three big Dallas runs, which was ultimately the difference in the game. Dallas not only had a 17-0 run in the first quarter, but they followed that up with a 12-0 run in the second and a 13-0 run in the third as those three runs saw the Bulls get outscored 42-0. You can't win games playing that poorly for such a long stretch, but take those runs out of the mix, and the Bulls outscored the Mavericks by 20, which could be considered a Silver lining. There were a few silver linings to take note of, and one of those falls on Nikola Vucevic, who led Chicago in scoring. Vucevic has gotten off to a great start this season, and he was off to an impressive start early on before the Bulls went away from him on the offensive end. He still managed to finish with 14 points and 10 rebounds as he continues to rack up double-doubles. That was about the only good thing that came from the Bulls' starting five. Josh Giddey was the only other starter in double figures, finishing with 10 points. This was by far the Bulls' worst shooting performance of the season. Another silver lining was that anytime you get blown out like this, it does allow an opportunity for some of your younger guys to get some run, and Matas Buzellis made the most of those minutes. Buzellis has struggled to see time on the court this season, and when on the floor, he hasn't been able to do much. This was one of those games where he not only looked comfortable, but you could see the potential that the Bulls and many scouts saw in him when he was drafted. He came off the bench with 13 points and nine rebounds in 23 minutes. Hopefully, that is a step in the right direction for him. Dalen Terry was another one of those players who benefitted from some extra time on the court. Terry is one of those guys who brings the energy to the Bulls every time he hits the floor. Terry added 10 points, with Talen Horton-Tucker (8 points), Julian Phillips (8 points), and Chris Duarte (7 points) all chipping in with the extra minutes they were given. While the Bulls were extremely short-handed with their best scorer inactive for the second straight game, Dallas had all their weapons available, which included phenom Luka Doncic. Since stepping on an NBA floor for the first time, Doncic has been one of the best players in the game and known for having monster games against the Bulls. This may not have been a monster game, but with 27 points and 13 assists, it was still a big game, as he still had his way with this team. Doncic wasn't alone in having a great night, as the Mavericks starting five gave the Bulls issues, with Kyrie Irving and Daniel Gafford picking up 17 points. Irving got off to a fast start in the first before cooling off, but still had an overall great game. Two more players landed in double figures for the Mavericks as their newest player, Klay Thompson, connected on three triples to finish with 13 points and Jaden Hardy coming away with 11 points off the bench. Chicago won't have to wait long to get back on the court. They will be back at the United Center on Thursday to host the Minnesota Timberwolves. Lavine is expected back for that game, and hopefully, that is what the team needs to get its offense back on track.
