Mavericks ride fast start from Kyrie Irving, cruise to blowout win over Bulls

Playing without starter PJ Washington and center Dereck Lively II, the Dallas Mavericks faced Chicago on Wednesday night with the prospect of their first two-game losing streak of the young season and their five-game homestand turning even sourer .

Unlike two nights earlier against Indiana, however, center Daniel Gafford flexed his interior presence and the Mavericks imposed their will early and often, cruising to a 119-99 victory at the American Airlines Center.

Kyrie Irving made his first six shots and scored 15 of his 17 points in the game’s opening 6:39. Luka Doncic recorded 27 points, 13 assists and 7 rebounds, and Dallas limited Chicago to 39% shooting in the first half.

“Now it’s just about building consistency,” said Irving, who unselfishly took just four shots after the first six minutes. “We know the difference in the emotional pull that you feel when you lose and then you come back and you react and you get a good win. It’s just night and day. I think it has a lot to do with our effort, our attention to detail and just having fun with each other out there on the floor.”

And Gafford? After playing just 15 ineffective minutes Monday and being played off the court by Indiana’s five-out offense, he responded Wednesday with 17 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks.

“Just a sense of urgency,” Gafford said. “Better communication. Faster too.”

Even without Washington (sprained right knee) and Lively (sprained right shoulder), the Mavericks staved off issues that have plagued them early in the season, particularly committing excessive fouls and being slow in transition defense.

“We have a really good basketball team,” coach Jason Kidd said. “It’s just now that we have to find our rhythm.”

On Wednesday, Dallas flipped the script by forcing 23 Chicago turnovers. That allowed the Mavericks to get into transition and dominate in point-off turnovers, 28-13. The ball movement was sharp. Dallas finished with 33 assists on 45 field goals.

“A lot of guys touched the ball early and I thought the balance was good so they couldn’t run on us,” Kidd said. “I thought the ball movement early really set the tone.”

Now, Dallas (5-3) can finish this homestand with a 3-2 record by beating Phoenix on Friday (ESPN). The Mavericks undoubtedly had loftier plans for this stretch, but Wednesday’s performance was a welcome setback, especially with a trip to Denver, Golden State and Utah looming.

Before Wednesday’s game, Kidd expressed concern that the matchup was similar to Monday’s, when Dallas fell to shorthanded Indiana, because the Mavericks were troubled by the Pacers’ high-octane five-out offense as Myles Turner poured in 30 points.

It certainly helped Dallas that Bulls leading scorer Zach LaVine sat out with a sore groin, but Chicago entered the night as the NBA’s No. 1 team in pace — against a Dallas team that ranked 28th in transition.

“If you think Indiana is fast, they’re even faster,” Kidd said.

In the Indiana loss, Dallas fell behind 15-2 and Gafford was a minus-15 in just 4:45 of playing time in the first quarter. On Wednesday, he was a plus-10 in 7:29 minutes in the first period, with three points and three rebounds, while also defending Nikola Vucevic, a player similar to Turner in perimeter shooting.

In a 65-second sequence in the first quarter, Doncic, Irving and Klay Thompson sank 3-pointers as part of a 13-0 Mavericks run to open the game.

“With Doncic and Kyrie out there, it makes it really very, very difficult because not only can those guys really score at an elite level, they’re very willing passers,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. “And with a guy like Klay, he’s probably going to get a lot of the open looks from those guys.

“And listen: Klay has played on a lot of really, really good teams. He knows what it takes to win and he’s a consummate professional.”

Thompson scored 13 points on just 10 shots Wednesday, but his shooting ability wasn’t needed tonight.

Kidd offered no timetable for the return of Washington and Lively. On this night, Dallas’ bench players contributed 36 points — but 35 of those came after halftime, including 27 in fourth-quarter stoppage time after the Mavericks took a 30-point lead.

“With the injuries we have right now, it gives other guys an opportunity to play to see what we have,” Kidd said. “And that will only make the team stronger in this marathon.”

Photos: Luka Doncic dishes out 13 assists as Mavericks rout Bulls

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