Mavericks vs Bulls Final Score: Dallas defeats Chicago, 119-99

The Dallas Mavericks dispatched the Chicago Bulls 119-99 on Wednesday night in Dallas. Luka Doncic led the way for the Mavericks with 27 points and 13 assists, while Nikola Vučević had 14 points and 10 rebounds in a losing effort for the Bulls. The win never seemed in doubt for Dallas and was a much-needed win on the current home court after a disappointing loss to the Pacers earlier in the week. The blowout win was especially impressive since the Mavericks had so many injuries, especially Dereck Lively and PJ Washington.

The Bulls themselves were beat up, missing Lonzo Ball and leading scorer Zach LaVine, and their absence was felt on offense. Chicago struggled to shoot the ball, finishing just 42 percent from the field and 29 percent from three.

Dallas had one of their best starts of the season, going on a 17-0 run in the first quarter led by Kyrie Irving’s 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field. But the mostly bench lineup of Dwight Powell, Spencer Dinwiddie, Quentin Grimes and Olivier-Maxence Prosper immediately gave up a 15-5 run to the Bulls.

The starters came back into the second quarter and continued to build on the lead. Doncic nearly finished the half with a double-double and finished with nine assists, the most he has had in a half this season.

Dallas came out even hotter in the third quarter, outscoring Chicago 32-23 and effectively ending the game. The Mavericks never looked back, eventually finishing with a 20-point victory.

Here are our main thoughts from the game.

Great offensive from the starters

Dallas got a ton of production from their starters, with four starters finishing in double figures. Daniel Gafford played a great game and finished with an efficient 17 points and seven rebounds. Klay Thompson didn’t have his usual volume, but still chipped in 13 points. Add in the other starters — including Naji Marshall, who filled in for the injured Washington — and Dallas’ starting five finished with 82 points in a game that was effectively over by the end of the third quarter.

If the Mavericks can keep up the production thing, they will be very hard to beat.

Lack of bench production

It wasn’t all good news for Dallas. The bench has struggled all season and tonight was no exception. The Mavericks bench scored just one point in the first half, off a Dinwiddie free throw. They eventually finished with 32 points, but the vast majority were scored in garbage time. While the Mavericks lack key rotation pieces, the lack of bench scoring has been consistently poor even when Dallas has been healthy. It wasn’t a factor in an easy win today, but the bench production is something to monitor going forward.

Gives up offensive rebounds

Another season-long struggle for Dallas has been opposing offensive rebounds, and tonight was no exception. In the first half, Chicago had eight offensive rebounds, which was the only element that worked for the Bulls. Dallas cleaned up a bit in the second half, but Chicago still finished with 14 offensive rebounds, significantly more than their season average of 9.9 per. match.

Chicago only scored 12 second-chance points off those rebounds, but better teams will capitalize on those opportunities. The return of the greats Lively and Maxi Kleber should help with rebounding.

Scoring turnover

The Mavericks are at their best when they limit turnovers on offense and force turnovers on defense. Other than five turnovers from an uncharacteristically sloppy Doncic, Dallas protected the ball well. The defense forced the Bulls into 22 turnovers, leading to 28 points. Compare that to the 13 points Chicago scored on Dallas turnovers, and that’s nearly the margin of victory.

While the team’s season-long woes continue, they didn’t matter tonight. The battered Mavericks did a great job of securing an easy win against Chicago.

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