FINAL FROM DALLAS:
Mavericks 118, Bulls 110 (Bulls: 13-24, 6-11 on the road)
LEADING SCORERS: Bulls: Markkanen: 26pts. Dallas: Doncic: 38 pts
LEADING REBOUNDERS: Bulls: Markkanen and Young each with 9. Dallas: Doncic: 11.
LEADING ASSISTS: Bulls: Satoransky: 14 (CH) Dallas: Doncic: 10
STAT OF THE NIGHT: The Bulls scored 72 points in the paint. Luka Doncic recorded his league-leading 11th triple-double.
IN THE LOCKER ROOM: "Daniel [Gafford] sprained his left ankle but fought through pretty good. He's a tough, tough guy. Wendell [Carter Jr.] sprained his right ankle. X-rays were negative, so it's an ankle sprain right now – unless something else pops up. I was proud of Lauri Markkanen for fighting through. I thought he played his heart out. I thought our guys played really hard and competed. Got to give them credit – I thought it was similar to the Boston game, that their skill level and shot-making makes it hard on you. You do everything right, then they make a 26-footer at that top of the key. It makes it difficult, but I was really proud of the way we battled and thought I saw a lot of good things. I loved the way we ran. I think we had under 10 turnovers, we forced 15 [turnovers], we won the boards and a lot of good things."
RECAP: As we move forward, the status of Wendell Carter Jr. will come in to play after Carter suffered a right ankle injury in the third quarter. He was taken off the court in a wheelchair.
The Bulls hung tough with the Mavs but it was simply too much Luka Doncic. The 20-year-old, second-year star from Slovenia scored 21 of his 38 points in the third quarter. He is extremely gifted and brash as well. He may not be the MVP this season but he will become one in the very near future. He is an incredible talent. Lauri Markkanen was a game-time decision with an ankle issue but started and played 36 minutes, scoring a team-high 26 points. Tomas Satoransky dished out a career-high 14 assists. The Bulls bench (Gafford, White, and Young) was solid.
UP NEXT: At New Orleans Wednesday.
24 SECONDS NBA NEWS AND NOTES:
San Antonio 126, Milwaukee 104: The Spurs drained a season-high 19 three balls. The Bucks suffered their first loss since December 25.
Washington 98, Boston 94: Ish Smith scored 27 for the Wizards. Boston's Kemba Walker missed his third straight game with the flu. Bradley Beal missed his fifth game in his last six with a sore right leg. The 12-24 Wizards have beaten Boston, Denver, and Miami in their last three wins.
Denver 123, Atlanta 115: Nikola Jokic scored a career-high 47 points. The Hawks dropped to an NBA worst 8-29.
Utah 128, New Orleans 126: The Jazz now 12 games over.500, winners of six straight. The game featured 18 lead changes and 11 ties.
Indiana 115, Charlotte 104: T.J. Warren scored 30 of his 36 points in the second half.
Orlando 101, Brooklyn 89: Markelle Fultz scored a career-high 25 points. Nikola Vucevic notched his 300th career double-double game. Kyrie Irving missed his 24th straight game.
Philadelphia 120, OKC 113: The 76ers snapped a four-game losing streak. The Thunder's five-game win streak came to an end.
Sacramento 111, Golden State 98: The Kings led by as many as 31 points. Golden State's Steve Kerr was ejected for arguing with officials..lucky him.
Thanks for reading CCI. Reach out: cswirsky@bulls.com or Twitter @ctsbulls
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