The Dallas Mavericks will travel to take on the Chicago Bulls, and fans should be well aware of these two keys to the game before tipoff.
On Saturday, the Dallas Mavericks will take on the Chicago Bulls in the Windy City. After a hot start to the season, the Bulls have fallen back to Earth, sitting at 17-20, barely hanging onto a play-in spot.
The Mavericks are in a similar spot. After losing to the Utah Jazz, they are 11th in the West, a far cry from the preseason expectations that Nico Harrison promised.
The Bulls and Mavericks have been linked in trade rumors this season, but it seems Dallas is putting the brakes on trading Anthony Davis, at least for now. As the Mavericks look to turn the tide, two major keys stand out against Chicago.
Two Keys for Mavericks to Win
This season, the Bulls are one of the worst 3-point defending teams in the NBA. They rank 22nd in 3-pointers allowed per game, and allow their opponents to shoot 36.7% from downtown.
Recently, Klay Thompson has found some consistency. He isn't the elite perimeter player he once was, but he knows he can slice up the Bulls' lackluster defense, especially from behind the arc.
"I'm excited to go to Chicago," he said on Thursday. "I got good memories in Chicago, so I'm going to try to tap into that and hopefully play with the same flow I did tonight."
With the Bulls unable to defend the 3-point shot, Thompson shouldn't be the only player ready to put up big numbers. Cooper Flagg has struggled to find his shot, but against a weaker opponent and with newfound confidence, he could turn the tide.
"I've just been feeling really confident," offered Flagg. "Getting comfortable behind the line. I haven't shot it the best, so teams are going to start giving that up. And just got to be confident and step into it and knock it down."
Of course, it won't be an easy win for the Mavs. While the Bulls struggle to defend the 3-point line, they make up for it with a ruthless offensive attack. They average 54.1 points in the paint per game, good for fifth-most in the entire league. The Mavericks, without Dereck Lively II, allow the most point paints in the entire league.
Expect Daniel Gafford and Anthony Davis to have their hands full down low with Nikola Vucevic and slashers like Matas Buzelis and Josh Giddey.
If Dallas can rain in shots from deep, it should be an easy win for the Mavs. However, the Bulls are uniquely positioned to take advantage of the Mavericks' defensive shortcomings. Expect this game to set the tone for the rest of the season as these two teams aim to turn their fortunes around.