Mavs Takes: Luka Returns, Dallas Perimeter Uptick & Bulls Tamed
With the chance to an extend their winning streak to six games, the Dallas Mavericks managed to defeat the Chicago Bulls with a 113-99 beat down.
Kristaps Porzingis remained sidelined in COVID protocols, but Luka Doncic made his return to the lineup after a one-game absence. With Porzingis out, Dallas deployed a starting lineup of Jalen Brunson, Doncic, Dorian Finney-Smith, Maxi Kleber, and Dwight Powell.
The Eastern Conference leading Bulls started the game off strong—taking a 32-22 lead after the first quarter. However, the Mavericks turned things around, outscoring Chicago 91-67 for the remainder of the game.
Now let's take a look at three of the biggest takeaways from the Mavericks' win over the Bulls.
Mavs’ Three-Point Shooting Uptick Continues
Making perimeter shots goes a way to succeeding in the win column. For the Mavericks—a team build around having catch-and-shoot threats around Doncic—converting from deep is especially important.
The Mavericks began the 2021-22 season off to a much slower start in the shooting department. Some pointed blame to having fans back in the stands again, while others, including Mark Cuban, said it was the texture of the new Wilson ball.
Last season, the Mavericks shot 36.2 percent from three-point range and dropped in 13.8 makes per game. They finished with a 34-12 record (.739) in those outings—accounting for 63.8 percent of the 72-game regular season.
So far, the Mavericks have recorded 13 makes from the perimeter threshold in 40.0 percent of their performances this season. When doing so, they have gone 11-5 (.687).
It goes a long way when complementary players like Maxi Kleber can go 6-of-9 (66.7 percent) from deep. Dorian Finney-Smith also tacked on 4-of-7 (57.1 percent) shooting from beyond the arc against Chicago. Otherwise, though, Dallas' other main threats had less than stellar nights from deep.
Both Kleber and Finney-Smith combined to finish with just one fewer make than the Bulls (11) while taking 17 fewer attempts. Outside of them, the Mavericks shot just 6-of-20 (30.0 percent) from three-point range.
Luka Made His Return
After being sidelined for the Mavericks' blowout win over the Houston Rockets, Doncic, who has been dealing with an ankle injury, returned to the lineup and made a major impact. He recorded his 39th career triple double, finishing with 22 points, 14 rebounds, and 14 assists.
It was a slow start for Doncic in the scoring department, however. He scored just seven points in the opening half while going 3-of-11 (27.3 percent) from the field and 1-of-4 (25.0 percent) from beyond the arc, while also not getting to the free throw line once.
The Bulls made it a point to be physical with Doncic from the start of the game. At times, Doncic seemed more focused on how he wasn't getting foul calls. Later on, though, he fought through the contact to get into the paint and the results showed.
Doncic and the Mavericks as a whole made it a point to attack Nikola Vucevic's lack of foot speed out in space by involving him in pick-and-rolls and attacking him in isolation at times throughout the game.
There was also a point from Doncic to operate out of the post relatively frequently in this game. There were ten possessions that featured him either taking a shot out of the post or a post-up leading to a shot in the Mavericks' offense.
This game also showed the importance of having Jalen Brunson alongside Doncic to take pressure off him against tough matchups. Brunson finished with 17 points while going 8-of-10 (80.0 percent) from the field and chipping in four assists.
As obvious as it may sound, the fact remains that good things tend to happen when the Mavericks have Doncic available to play. They are 16-9 (.640) this season when he plays and are just 6-9 (.400) when he is sidelined from action.
Dallas Defense Here to Stay?
Once again, the Mavericks put together a defensive performance that featured containing their opponent to fewer than 100 points, which is something that's occurred now in six of their previous seven outings.
Holding an NBA team below 100 points is no easy feat, in general. It's all the more challenging against the top-seeded team in the Eastern Conference with a variety of available threats like DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic, and Lonzo Ball to account for.
Perhaps most impressive of all was how the Mavericks started off slow on both ends, but eventually tightened up on defense throughout the game. The Bulls put 32 points on the board in the first quarter with Zach LaVine (nine) and DeMar DeRozan (six) combining for 15 points.
Chicago never managed to reach 25 points within a single-quarter for the rest of the night and scored only 67 points over the remaining three periods. DeRozan and LaVine each were contained to mild outings as they finished with just 20 points.
The Mavericks have led the NBA in defensive rating dating back to Dec. 11 and that spans their previous 15 performances. The 107.1 defensive rating Dallas has posted on the season continues to narrowly rank in the top five overall.
Next up, the Mavs will look to continue their hot streak against a New York Knicks team that currently ranks 24th in offensive rating.
