3 Keys: Can the Chicago Bulls' Offense Return to Form Against the Mavericks?

The Chicago Bulls received an unexpected rest day on Thursday, as the NBA was shockingly forced to postpone their meeting with the Miami Heat. They are now hoping to use that to their advantage in their first meeting of the Chciago with the Dallas Mavericks and Cooper Flagg.

Let's talk about three things they need to do to snap their three-game skid at the United Center tonight.

First things first, don't let the players watch the Bears game on the bench! They need to be locked in!

Math Problem for the Mavs?

Dallas Mavericks Cooper Flagg — Jan 8, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) shoots a three point basket over Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) during the first quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

The Chicago Bulls will come into tonight with the clear upper-hand behind the arc.

The Dallas Mavericks have been one of the NBA's worst shooting teams all season long. Their offense ranks 28th in the NBA in large part due to this area of the box score. The team's 31.7 attempts a night rank fourth-lowest in the NBA, while the 33.7 percent success rate is second-lowest. Klay Thompson and Max Christie are two high-level shooting threats, but their options really drop off a cliff from there.

Dallas has failed to make at least 10 threes in eight of their last 14 games. The Bulls have finished in the single digits only twice this season – the last time being on December 3 against the Brooklyn Nets.

Indeed, as the year has progressed, we have seen the Bulls' rotation lean more on creating outside shots, as they have recently moved into the Top 10 in attempts per game. The increased volume has led to a slight decrease in their overall efficiency, but the Bulls still sit just above league average with a 36.0 percent clip over their 37 games this season.

Now, there is no question that having Josh Giddey's playmaking and the floor-spacing ability of Jalen Smith and Zach Collins helps with Chicago's solid production. Missing those players tonight could make the arc a little less of a factor. At the same time, having Coby White back will. While he's experienced a dip in his own efficiency this season, everyone knows this has largely been due to injury trouble. He remains an incredibly well-respected shooter who should certainly help the Bulls win this area of the box score.

Get Ready to Run Again ...

Jan 6, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Max Christie (00) drives to the basket against the Sacramento Kings in the second quarter at the Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Without Mother Nature stepping in on Thursday night, the Chicago Bulls would have played three of the Top 4 teams in fastbreak points back-to-back-to-back. The Heat rank 2nd in that department, while the Pistons rank 3rd. They will now face a Mavericks squad that lands 4th with 17.9 fastbreak points a night.

Led by phenomenon Cooper Flagg, this young and energetic group loves to get a full head of steam. They are only three spots behind Chicago in PACE and start the 6th-highest percentage of their possessions in transition, per Cleaning the Glass. Their points per possession in transition also rank behind only the Oklahoma City Thunder and New York Knicks.

Of course, this also means that they do plenty of damage at the rim. Chicago has been among the league leaders in points in the paint all season long and is currently 5th with 54.1 points a night. Dallas is right on their heels with 53.6 per game. So, once again, the Bulls potentially not having the size and mobility of both their reserve bigs could prove to be a real problem.

Nonetheless, I will always feel better about the Bulls playing a fast team than a slow team. This is particularly true when that fast team ls struggles just as much to keep teams out of the paint! Oddly enough, while the Mavs hold a Top 10 defensive rating thanks to their slew of switchable players, they have allowed the single-most points in the paint per game this season. The absence of big man Dereck Lively II has really hurt them, and they will now also be without Anthony Davis for the foreseeable future.

Return of the Bench Mob?

Jalen Smith and Ayo Dosunmu of the Chicago Bulls — Dec 31, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu (11) celebrates his three point shot with forward Jalen Smith (25) and forward Matas Buzelis (14) against the New Orleans Pelicans during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

As has been made clear above, the Dallas Mavericks' offense can really struggle. While Thompson has primarily moved to an off-the-bench role, this is still a Mavs team that really lacks scoring depth, particularly tonight.

Joining Anthony Davis on the injury report will be PJ Washington, who has been ruled out with an ankle sprain. In other words, the Mavs will be missing two of their Top 4 leading scorers. If we throw in the Brandon Williams absence, that's three of their Top 6 leading scorers.

UPDATE: The post originally said Nnaji Marshall would miss tonight's game. That is not the case, and I apologize for the mistake! Marshall has appeared in all 38 games this season and remains on track to suit up tonight.

To be sure, Cooper Flagg has been on a tear in recent weeks and is starting to look like the NBA-ready 18-year-old that everyone feared. He is averaging 22+ points and 6+ assists over his last 12 games, and he's done so while shooting 47.8 percent from the field. Chicago's defense isn't well-equipped to handle the youngster's versatility, but they can eliminate that concern by simply taking full advantage of every minute Flagg is off the floor.

Obviously, the Bulls' scoring depth has also been depleted in recent weeks. But they still have Ayo Dosunmu leading the second unit, and Jalen Smith has also been upgraded to questionable ahead of tip-off. Plus, we all know they have several more dependable scoring options in their starting five. If they can put together one of the well-rounded offensive nights that we have grown used to, they should be able to snap this losing streak.