After losing six of the previous seven games against the Chicago Bulls, Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks faced another difficult opponent on Wednesday night at American Airlines Center.
Despite the fact that the Dallas Mavericks have a much different roster than in previous years, we expected Wednesday’s matchup with the Chicago Bulls to be a tough one, given Chicago’s six wins over Dallas in its last seven tries.
That was the case for the most of the game, as the Bulls gave the Mavs everything they could handle, but Dallas eventually won, 114-105, to improve to 4-0 on the season with a fourth consecutive clutch win. With the win, the Mavericks became the Western Conference’s only undefeated team.
Luka Doncic has averaged 22.8 points, 8.8 assists, and 8.5 rebounds in eight career games versus the Bulls while shooting 41.4 percent from the field and 32.8 percent from outside the arc. On Wednesday, he finished with 18 points, seven rebounds, and ten assists on 5-16 shooting. Doncic’s teammates picked up the load for him on this night.
Grant Williams led the Mavericks in scoring with 25 points on 7-9 3-point shooting. The 24-year-old also had five rebounds, one assist, and one steal while finishing the night with a +13. Tim Hardaway Jr. contributed 24 points off the bench. It’s still early in the season, but Hardaway has surely put his name in the hat for Sixth Man of the Year.
Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks takes flight in front of three Chicago Bulls.
Dereck Lively, a rookie big man, made his third consecutive start and finished with seven points on 3-5 shooting. He also set career highs with 13 rebounds and six assists, as well as two steals and a block. On the night, he was a team-high +15. The 19-year-old still has a long way to go, but he’s on the right road, and the Mavericks are pleased with his growth since Summer League play last season.
The Bulls were led by Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic, who scored 22 and 21 points, respectively. DeMar DeRozan chipped in with 16 points, but Chicago’s “Big 3” couldn’t lock down defensively when it counted.
The Mavericks were missing star point guard Kyrie Irving for the second straight game, as he recovers from a foot strain suffered in Dallas’ win over the Brooklyn Nets last weekend. Although the Mavericks easily defeated the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday, tonight’s game against the Bulls was a different story, as Doncic was harassed from start to finish without his co-star to lean on.
The Mavericks will face their toughest test of the season next, as they travel to Denver to face Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets on Friday night. The Nuggets suffered their first setback of the season on Wednesday in a blowout loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, so the reigning champions will be eager to get back on track with the Mavericks in town this weekend.