Chicago Bulls vs Dallas Mavericks Prediction: The Bulls need a winning streak, Mavs' defense charged on

The NBA Regular Season has historically been one of the most competitive spheres in the sporting world and with each day, we are going to see multiple factors come into play, whether it be trades or the rise and fall of various teams. There are teams that are struggling for rhythm and one of those teams Chicago Bulls are going to take on the Dallas Mavericks.

The Bulls enter the game after defeating the Wizards 115:111 despite a 27 points outing by DeMar DeRozan. The Bulls have won 10 and have lost 14 games, which means that their record needs a lot of work. They have lost four out of the last six games and their woes have only worsened with each week. Their home record of six wins and five losses isn’t enough and their last season woes since the absence of Lonzo Ball have carried here.

They have been the fourth-worst three-point shooting team in terms of makes and have allowed teams to make 2.5+ threes per game on average. This has been the biggest difference for the team and this is something that was frequent last season. The duo of DeMar and LaVine have averaged over 45 while Vucevic averages over 16 points. The Point Guard and Power Forward positions haven’t brought the intended returns. Overall, the Bulls haven’t been getting it done.

The Mavericks enter the fray after losing 105:106 against the Milwaukee Bucks despite another 30+ points performance by Luka Doncic. This was a great effort defensively but in the last seconds, the team missed a bunch of free-throws and committed basic errors. This loss stalled a three-game winning streak but Finney-Smith and Kleber played some great defense on Antetokounmpo, a reminder of what the team accomplished on the defensive end last season.

They have 13 wins and 12 losses, but it should have been 14 wins and 11 losses, if not for some poor closeout from the squad. Doncic remains the team’s leader and Christian Wood, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Tim Hardaway have provided major offensive support. The defense relies heavily upon Dorian Finney-Smith and Maxi Kleber, but the Forward position for the team hasn’t been that reliable offensively. Josh Green has also provided balance on the defensive end. The Mavericks doesn’t have depth but they have a great balance nonetheless.

• Bulls: OUT: Lonzo Ball. Game-Time Decision: JaVonte Green;
• Mavericks: OUT: McKinley Wright IV.

• Expected Leading Scorers: DeMar DeRozan(28-34 Points), Luka Doncic(25-32 Points), Zach LaVine(22-26 Points);
• Expected Leading Rebounders: Nikola Vucevic(10-13 Rebounds), Luka Doncic(8-12 Rebounds);
• Expected Leading Playmakers: Luka Doncic(8-11 Assists), DeMar DeRozan(5-8 Assists).

The Mavs played last night in a highly physical game. Their defense has been prolific lately and they are currently on a two game-winning streak away from home. But as stated above, a back-to-back scenario and a travel to East coast must have taken its toll. They will go up against the Bulls team which is yet to find its shine and aren’t that safe of a pick even at home. However, I see the Bulls playing a fine brand of basketball here and their role players picking up. I’d pick the Bulls to win here and I predict a scoreline of 113:108 in their favor.