Bulls don't come close to slowing down Doncic
The Bulls were geared up for the task of slowing down the NBA's newest superstar, Dallas' Luka Doncic, but this wasn't their night.
Kris Dunn, their best defensive player, couldn't catch a break and spent most of the game on the bench with foul trouble. Lauri Markkanen bounced back from a sprained ankle and played. Then both Daniel Gafford and Wendell Carter Jr. turned ankles in this one. Gafford returned to the game, Carter didn't.
When you have a star player in the NBA, things tend to go your way. To say Doncic is the real deal would be an absurd understatement. The 6-foot-7 guard from Slovenia delivered 38 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in the Mavericks' 118-110 victory on Monday at the American Airlines Center.
"He made tough shots. I thought we did a good job on him for the most part," Bulls coach Jim Boylen said. "I thought we made him work for everything. He had one of those nights that good players have. You have to give him credit for that."
Markkanen, who sprained his left ankle late in Saturday's loss to Boston, led the Bulls with 26 points and 9 rebounds. Zach LaVine added 20 points. Tomas Satoransky had a career-high 14 assists.
The Bulls (13-24) dropped their fourth-straight game, all against teams with winning records. That is their longest losing streak of the season.
The Bulls led 50-47 when Dunn picked up his third foul and went to the bench with 3:26 left in the second quarter. Dallas finished the half with a 14-5 run, which began when Doncic pumped-faked Tomas Satoransky into the air, tossed in an off-balance shot and finished the 4-point play.
Dunn got his fourth foul less than three minutes into the third quarter. Boylen turned to Shaq Harrison on Doncic and that matchup was no contest. Doncic scored 21 points in the third quarter alone, mostly against the shorter Harrison.
Dallas went 16-for-41 from 3-point range. Doncic made 5 of 10 himself, and his teammates got plenty of wide-open looks, thanks to their teammate getting so much defensive attention.
"You do everything right and they make a 26-footer from the top of the key. It makes it difficult," Boylen said. "When he gets in foul trouble, we're not as good defensively. I thought Shaq came in and battled, played his heart out."
The Bulls said X-rays were negative on Carter's right ankle and diagnosed it as a sprain. Carter was helped off the court and was taken to the locker room in a wheelchair.
Before the game, LaVine was asked if he'd made a decision about participating in the slam dunk contest when the NBA All-Star Game visits the United Center in February. LaVine said he has a different contest in mind, according to bulls.com.
"I don't think anyone has won a dunk contest and a three-point contest, so I'll try that one out. I would love to," said LaVine, who won the dunk contest in each of his first two seasons in the league. "To win a three-point contest, I think, would be historic."
It's up to the league whether LaVine would be invited to the 3-point contest. In the dunk contest, he'd be a prized participant.
"Hopefully they'll give me some time to figure that out," LaVine said. "I think with it being in Chicago it is a big deal. So I definitely think they are going to help me try to get out there.
"I want to make sure that my body feels right. I'm more focused on winning games. (But) I've got some dunks still."
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