GAME NIGHT FROM THE UNITED CENTER
Dallas (37-24, 21-11 on the road) At Bulls: (20-40, 12-19 at home)
TV: NBCSC: Neil Funk and Stacey King. 7PM.
RADIO: 670 The Score: Chuck Swirsky, Bill Wennington, and David Schuster. 6:45 pre.
LEADING SCORERS: Bulls: LaVine: 25 ppg. Dallas: Doncic: 28 ppg.
LEADING REBOUNDERS: Bulls: Carter: 9 per. Dallas: Doncic: 9 per
LEADING ASSISTS: Bulls: Satoransky: 5 per. Dallas: Doncic: 8 per.
PREVIEW: The Bulls face a daunting March schedule as they entertain the high scoring Mavericks tonight. The Bulls defense will be severely challenged tonight. Dallas is averaging nearly 117 points per game; third in the NBA. During the stretch of losing 10 of 11 games, Bulls' opponents are averaging 120 points per contest. Expect a ton of three-point field goal attempts as the two teams shoot a combined 76 shots behind the arc per game.
February totals:
LaVine: Avg. nearly 28 pts. 4-reb. 5-assists. 36 min. Shot: 49%. 40%-3pt range. 63% from the foul line, down from 83% in January.
Satoransky: Avg. 31 min. 9 pts. 4 reb. 6 assists. Shot 38% from the field.28%from three-point range and 82% from the foul line.
White: 20 pts 4-reb. 4 assists - Avg 31 min. Shot 43%, 41% from 3pt range and 93 % from foul line ( 29-31).
Young: Avg. 32 min per game: 14pts 6 reb. 52%fg. 50% 3pt %.
Luka Doncic's status for tonight's game is uncertain but let's be perfectly clear about Doncic. He is a spectacular ballplayer. Period. He can score. He can rebound. He can pass. He's got swag. He leads Dallas in scoring, rebounding and assists. Kristaps Porzingis has resurfaced as an impact star in the NBA. He's healthy and looks like the Porzingis of old, back in the day with the Knicks prior to his ACL injury. In February, Seth Curry averaged 18 points, shooting 55% from the floor and 59% from three-point range.
Head Coach Rick Carlisle said he may rest Porzingis tonight.
24 SECONDS NBA NEWS AND NOTES:
Los Angeles Lakers 122, New Orleans 114: LeBron James bagged his 13th triple-double of the season tying Luka Doncic for most triple-doubles this season. Zion Williamson recorded his third 30+ game in his 15th NBA contest. Williamson with a season-high 35 points. He's the only player in NBA history with those numbers.
Los Angeles Clippers 136, Philadelphia 130: LAC has won four straight. Philadelphia's Shake Milton tied an NBA record with 13 consecutive made threes over the past three games, en route to a career-high 39 points.
Denver 133, Toronto 118: The Nuggets scored a season-high IMG points as Nikola Jokic continues to put up huge numbers: 23-18-11. The Raps have lost three straight.
Dallas 111, Minnesota 91: No Luka Doncic (thumb) no problem for the Mavs. Kristaps Porzingis recorded his fifth 30+ game of the season. Porzingis with a 38-13-4 and 5 block shots. According to Basketball-Reference, he's the only player in NBA history with those numbers—he's done it twice. The T-Wolves played uninspired ball.
Milwaukee 93, Charlotte 85: The Bucks are making a mockery of the NBA schedule improving to 52-8.
Sacramento 106, Detroit 100: The Kings have won four of five since the All-Star break. Derrick Rose suffered a right ankle injury.
Washington 124, Golden State 110: Davis Bertrand went 8-10 from three-point range.
Thanks for reading CCI. Reach out: cswirsky@bulls.com or Twitter @ctsbulls
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