Mavericks vs. Bulls – Game Recap – November 10, 2021

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CHICAGO — — There is no secret to Lonzo Ball‘s improved 3-point shooting. He put the work in, and it’s paying off.

He has come a long way from long distance.

“It’s night and day now,” he said.

Ball made seven of Chicago’s 15 3-pointers and Zach LaVine scored 23 points, powering the Bulls to a 117-107 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.

Ball went 7 for 10 from deep and finished with 21 points. He is shooting 44.7% from beyond the arc in his first year with the Bulls, continuing his steady rise from shooting 30.5% from 3 during his rookie season in 2017-18 with the Lakers.

“He deserves a lot of credit,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. “He’s put in an incredible amount of work to get himself to that level.”

Five players scored in double figures for Chicago during its second consecutive victory. Nikola Vucevic had 18 points and 10 rebounds, and DeMar DeRozan finished with 17 points.

Dallas had won three straight and four of five overall, but couldn’t keep up with LaVine and Chicago in the second half. Kristaps Porzingis had 22 points and 12 rebounds for the Mavericks, and Luka Doncic finished with 20 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.

“I should take better shots,” said Doncic, who was 6 for 18 from the field. “I know I always say this, but honestly, I’ve got to do it, not just say it. I’ve got to be better.”

Dallas trailed by seven in the third quarter before Doncic wrapped the ball around his back and then lobbed to Dwight Powell for a jam over Vucevic with 3:29 left. The play drew an “ooohhh” from the United Center crowd of 20,910, but the rest of the period belonged to Chicago.

Alex Caruso converted a three-point play and made a jumper to give the Bulls a 95-80 lead after three. The reserve guard finished with 16 points on 6-for-7 shooting.

“I just tried to be aggressive when I had the ball and shots went in,” Caruso said.

Chicago was never seriously threatened in the fourth, and LaVine punctuated the win when he got an overhead pass from Ball and finished a 360-degree dunk with 1:50 remaining.

“The Bulls are back, man. That’s all I can say,” said Tim Hardaway Jr., who scored 21 points for Dallas.

Doncic’s free throw gave the Mavericks a 51-48 lead with 4:46 left in the second quarter, but the Bulls closed the first half with a 13-3 run. LaVine opened the spurt with a 3-pointer and a dunk.

“Right there before half, with two minutes left, they went on a run, and we just couldn’t recover from that,” Dallas coach Jason Kidd said.

TIP-INS

Mavericks: F Maxi Kleber (left oblique strain) missed his fifth straight game. Kidd said Kleber is doing better. “I don’t think we’ve got to the seven- or 10-day mark yet,” Kidd said. “But once we get there, I think I can give you a better update.”

Bulls: G Coby White (offseason left shoulder surgery) practiced with the team’s G League affiliate Tuesday. Donovan said White will have another workout on Thursday. “If things progress we’re hopeful at some point maybe on that West Coast swing that he’d be available to play,” Donovan said. The Bulls open a five-game trip at Golden State on Friday night. … F Patrick Williams (left wrist) will not travel with the team on its upcoming road trip, Donovan said.

UP NEXT

Mavericks: At the San Antonio Spurs on Friday for their third meeting already this season. The Mavericks took the first two, winning 104-99 on Oct. 28 and 109-108 last week.

Bulls: At Golden State on Friday night. The Bulls have dropped eight in a row against the Warriors.

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Young, Hawks open season with 113-87 rout of Mavericks

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ATLANTA – Beginning a season of high expectations, the Atlanta Hawks showed they’re far more than Trae Young.

He’s their unquestioned leader, of course, but a 113-87 rout of the Dallas Mavericks displayed Atlanta’s impressive depth.

Cam Reddish scored 20 points, Young added 19 and four others scored in double figures as the Hawks blew away Luka Doncic and the Mavericks on Thursday night, ruining the debut of Dallas coach Jason Kidd.

Coming off a surprising run to the Eastern Conference final, the Hawks took control of the game with a dominant third quarter, stretching a 51-44 halftime lead to 86-64 heading to the fourth.

After a sluggish start, Young scored 12 points and dished out nine assists in the decisive period, drawing chants of “MVP! MVP!” from the home crowd in the very first game.

Reddish led a stellar effort from the deep Hawks bench, which contributed 44 points.

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Seven Hawks scored before Young finally knocked down his first shot with 4 1/2 minutes left in the first half.

“It’s a good problem to have,” Young said. “We’ve got so many guys who can play.”

Coach Nate McMillan, who guided the Hawks to a remarkable turnaround last season after taking over on an interim basis, wants his starters to play as hard as they can right from the opening tip.

“We can play 10, 11 guys,” McMillan said. “There’s no need to pace yourself when you have a bench that can come in. We want to keep the pressure on an opponent.”

The Mavericks were thoroughly miserable in their first game under Kidd, who had not been a head coach since he was fired in Milwaukee midway through the 2017-18 season.

Kidd learned before the game that he was picked as one of the NBA’s 75 greatest players as part of the league’s 75th anniversary.

It was all downhill from there.

The Mavericks appear to have a lot more work to do if they want to take the next step behind Doncic, their dynamic young star.

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“I thought guys got great looks. They just didn’t go in for us,” said Kidd, who took over in Dallas after longtime coach Rick Carlisle stepped down on the heels of a first-round playoff loss last season.

With De’Andre Hunter doing a stellar defensive job, Doncic was held to 18 points on 6-of-17 shooting, to go along with 11 rebounds and seven assists.

He didn’t get much help from anyone except Jalen Brunson, who scored 17 off the bench.

The Mavericks shot a dismal 32.6% (31 of 93) from the field.

In the unending comparison between Young and Doncic, who were traded for each other during the 2018 draft, the Atlanta point guard was the clear winner in this one.

“We’ve got to find that balance so we’re not clogging up the paint,” said Kristaps Porzingis, who managed just 11 points and five rebounds. “Everybody has got to find their most comfortable spot.”

CLEARING THE BENCH

Leading by as many as 30, the Hawks were able to empty their bench in the fourth quarter.

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Fourteen players got on the court for Atlanta, including first-round pick Jalen Johnson. He scored six points and grabbed two rebounds.

Everyone played for Atlanta except veteran Lou Williams, who suited up but was dealing with a hip injury.

TIP-INS

Mavericks: Doncic played his 200th game in very rarified territory. He had already joined Oscar Robertson as the only players in NBA history to reach 5,000 points, 1,500 rebounds and 1,500 assists by that career landmark.

Hawks: F Danilo Gallinari was ruled out with a nagging shoulder injury. Solomon Hill moved up to fill Gallinari’s spot on the second team. … The Hawks doled out 31 assists, compared to 16 for the Mavericks. … Dominique Wilkins received a standing ovation when he was introduced during the first timeout as a member of the 75th anniversary team.

UP NEXT

Mavericks: Travel to Toronto to face the Raptors on Saturday. Dallas will finally play its home opener next Tuesday against the Rockets.

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Hawks: Head to Cleveland to face the Cavaliers in their first road game Saturday.

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Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at https://twitter.com/pnewberry1963 and find his work at https://apnews.com/search/paulnewberry

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