The Dallas Mavericks (4-3) are searching for the right combination of chemistry, while some of the top teams in the NBA are already exerting their will over the early part of the schedule. Frankly, the Mavericks are searching for a winning streak, and a matchup with the Chicago Bulls (3-4) on Wednesday at American Airlines Center is as good a place as any to start one.
Dallas is coming off a 134-127 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Monday, where the Mavericks didn’t have enough gas in the tank to complete a fourth-quarter comeback on the second night of a back-to-back. Chicago comes into the matchup losers of two straight, at the Brooklyn Nets and at home to the Utah Jazz. The conditions will be ideal at the AAC on Wednesday for a little get-right, but Dallas has concerns of its own entering the game.
Injury updates
As of this writing, we still don’t know the results of the MRI Dereck Lively II was reportedly scheduled to have on his shoulder. He apparently injured it during warmups on Monday before the loss to Indiana, and his presence against the Pacers was sorely missed. The Pacers got whatever they wanted going to the rim against the Mavs, scoring 76 points at the cup in the win in Dallas. He’s listed as questionable to play against the Bulls on the Mavericks injury report, but according to ESPN, it is not believed to be a serious shoulder injury for Lively.
P.J. Washington has already been ruled out for the Bulls game, after suffering a sprained right knee against Indiana. If the Mavs are without two of their top defenders on Wednesday, they could be drawn into another track meet on Wednesday, after losing one to the Pacers on Monday. The Bulls also like to get up and down the court, though they’re not as skilled on the perimeter as Indiana.
Another 5-out challenge
The Pacers’ 5-out offensive attack ran the Mavericks ragged on Monday, and the Bulls like to employ many similar concepts on offense as the Pacers. They have another good 5-out center in Nikola Vucevic, who comes into the game averaging 21.7 points and 10.8 rebounds per game to start the year. Chicago guard Coby White is also averaging more than 20 points per game to start the year, and newcomer Josh Giddey has turned over a new leaf to start the season at over 14 points per game.
The Pacers were able to play Mavs center Daniel Gafford off the court for the most part, as he’s just not cut out for guarding big men who spend time out on the perimeter. That forced the Mavs to go small for long stretches against Indiana, and forced Naji Marshall into a bigger role on both ends of the court. Look for the Mavs to lean on Marshall again against the Bulls. After such a strong outing against Indiana, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Marshall crack Wednesday’s starting lineup.
How to watch
Tipoff for the Mavericks vs. the Bulls is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Local and regional viewers can watch the game over the airwaves on Channel 29, or you can stream the game on MavsTV or NBA League Pass.
