Chicago Bulls Set Franchise Record Against Dallas Mavericks
The Chicago Bulls scored 82 points at halftime–a new franchise record–in the team’s 144-115 win against the Dallas Mavericks at the United Center Saturday.
The team’s 144 points are by far the most in a game this season. Prior to Saturday, the Bulls’ season high was 124. Additionally, the Bulls’ 19 threes are the most in a single game this season and seven players scored in the double-digits.
The Bulls battled the short-handed Mavericks without Luka Dončić, the NBA’s leading scorer, as the Mavs were playing in the back half of a back-to-back.
The Bulls jumped out to a 20-6 lead halfway through the first quarter, behind six straight scoring possessions, while limiting the Mavericks to one basket, a Spencer Dinwiddie two-point shot.
Zach LaVine was at the forefront of the impressive stretch, scoring five points, including a driving layup resulting from one of his two steals of the night. Nikola Vučević’s 25-foot 3-pointer was the final shot of the run, a dagger to the struggling Mavericks.
DeMar DeRozan scored seven straight Bulls points, including the first five points in the second quarter. DeRozan was aggressive the entire game, scoring 17 points in the first half, sinking all nine of his free throws. DeRozan finished the night with 28 points
The Bulls led 82-53 at halftime behind double-digit performances from Patrick Williams, LaVine, Vučević and DeRozan. The Bulls were efficient from every location, shooting 65.4 percent from the field (29/44) and 58.8 percent (10/17) from beyond the arc.
Four of the Bulls’ five starters had double-digit +/-. DeRozan was +44 in the first half while Williams was +26.
Derrick Jones Jr. (16), Goran Dragić (14) and Ayo Dosunmu (17) all scored double-digit points off the bench, while Andre Drummond had a successful night scoring (9) and rebounding (7) in 18 minutes.
DeRozan assisted on back-to-back Drummond dunks early in the second quarter in a five-assist night.
Coby White was unsuccessful from the field, but he dished out seven assists. White’s role drastically increased after starting point guard Alex Caruso injured his lower back early, sidelining him for most of the Dallas game and the team’s road matchup against the Atlanta Hawks Sunday.
Dosunmu played 31 minutes Saturday, the second-most of any Bulls player. Dosunmu should be the starting point guard because of Caruso’s injury.
Williams continues to see improvements and development in performances after a slow start to the season. Williams, the Bulls’ 2020 fourth-overall pick, has the potential to become the Bulls’ next great 3-and-D player. He shot 4-5 from three and added two blocks in the Bulls’ pounding of the Mavericks.
The Bulls’ past two wins have showcased what the offensive three-headed monster can accomplish. Bulls executive vice president Arturas Karnišovas added both DeRozan and Vučević during his tenure to help balance LaVine’s offensive load.
In a perfect world, all three scorers would add 20+ points a night. The Bulls accomplished that goal in its 115-111 win against the Washington Wizards Dec. 7.
In a much more competitive game than the Bulls’ Saturday win, DeRozan scored 27 points, and both LaVine and Vučević added 25. All three were consequential in the fourth quarter, when the Bulls scored a game-high 35 points.
Halfway through the fourth trailing by three, LaVine drilled a 3-pointer in three straight possessions. Vučević followed with one of his own, and the Bulls led 102-101 with four minutes remaining. In crunchtime, Vučević came up big. After making a hook shot from four feet, he blocked a Monte Morris layup, resulting in a DeRozan basket. DeRozan continued adding points, pulling the Bulls away by four in the end. DeRozan was king of the fourth quarter, scoring 15 of his 27 points in the final frame.
If the Bulls’ big three can continue to perform cohesively, the Bulls can make a push back into play-in contention.
The Bulls battle the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena Sunday as part of a back-to-back.
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