Things like this don't happen often for the Dallas Mavericks (37-28), but they rolled into Chicago's United Center on Monday to take on the Bulls (31-34) on their home court, 127-92. I won. After the first quarter, it was dusted off.
The Mavs did everything they could to overcome a bad run with five losses in six games and win three straight. Luka Doncic led the Mavs with his seventh straight triple-double with 27 points, 12 rebounds and 14 assists.
Here are five stats that helped us win big in the Windy City.
28 points: Mavericks lead at the end of the first quarter.
A slow start has plagued the Mavericks since the All-Star break. He trailed at the end of the first quarter in six of the last nine games prior to the game against Chicago, and led by an average of nearly seven points at the half in eight of the nine games.
However, the Mavs got off to a hot start against the Bulls, quickly running out to a 44-16 lead at the end of the first quarter, their largest lead of the season. Dallas made 18 of 28 shots (64.3%) on target, including 6 of 11 from 3-point range, compared to 7 of 23 (30.4%). ) and only one out of eight. Doncic scored or assisted on 30 of those points, finishing the first inning with 15 points, six rebounds and seven assists.
It was the 20th 40-point quarter of the season for the NBA-leading Mavericks, and it was a game out of reach for the Bulls. Chicago looked exhausted defensively at times, as the game against the Mavs was the Bulls' fifth game in eight days after a four-game stretch on the road on the West Coast.
The 35-point win in Chicago is tied for Dallas' third-largest point margin of the year.
22/7/3/2: Lively's rim running stat line.
The connection between Luka and Lively was automatic in the first half, with Lively leading all scorers with 16 points at halftime. His 22 points at the end of the night are a new season and career high mark for the rookie big man. He had scored 20 points three times this season before entering Monday's game.
Lively had eight dunks in the game, and many times it looked like the ocean was tearing him apart in the lane. It's never a bad thing to be on the receiving end of post passes from Doncic and Kyrie Irving when opposing defenses have no choice but to focus on them.
Lively has continued to run the floor extremely well over the past few games, and his full-court leak-out passes are becoming a real weapon for the Mavs when trying to break free and run on turnovers and missed baskets.
“Everyone's eyes are going to be on Luka and Kai,” Lively said in the postgame interview. “Then the big guys can find some open spots and do some damage.”
28: Gafford makes consecutive field goals.
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Will Daniel Gafford miss another field goal attempt? Is Wilt Chamberlain spinning in his grave as Gafford approaches an NBA record 35-game streak? It all came together as Gafford completed his fourth straight game of perfect shooting with 20 points from the field, seven boards and two blocked shots.
Gafford went 9-of-9 on the night, extending his streak of consecutive baskets to 28. If Gafford can repeat what he's done over the last four games, Chamberlain's all-time record will be on the line Wednesday.
The Bulls' paint defense, ranked at the top of the league, seemed to have decided to rest for the night, with Gafford and Lively hitting 20-of-21 from the field. The Mavericks outscored the Bulls 56-46 in the paint.
92: Allow few points of the season to Dallas.
The 92 points the Mavs allowed to the Bulls was a season low. After allowing just 16 points in the first, Dallas allowed just 22 points in the third. Dallas' defense held Chicago to just 39.3 percent from the field and 7-of-34 (20.6 percent) from 3-point range on the night.
Winning based on dominance in the paint and defense isn't typical of the Mavs, but it was good to see.
6: Luka Doncic's 3-point shot
Doncic made 6-of-15 3-pointers, even though he got a little trigger-happy in the fourth quarter when the outcome of the game no longer mattered. With those six 3-balls, Doncic (1,1,43) became the second-most made 3-pointers in Mavericks franchise history in just his sixth season, ahead of Jason Terry (1,140). .
