The Bulls will hope to stay hot and extend their winning streak ten games against the Dallas Mavericks. Chicago enters Sunday night with their biggest winning streak since 2010-11. That season was the last time the Bulls went to the eastern conference finals. These teams will face off the second time this season, with the Bulls winning the first matchup in November in Chicago 117-107.
Keys to Bulls Getting Win
Defend the Paint
To start the 2022 year, the Bulls have given up an average of 58 points, the second-worst in the NBA. Getting Tony Bradley back in the rotation is essential, but if the Mavericks want to win this game, they must attack the paint.
In the last matchup, Dallas scored 40 out of 107 points in the paint. Vucevic and Bradley must be active all night as many teams are figuring the biggest weakness of the hottest team in the NBA in the first week of the 2022 year.
Don’t Let the Mavericks Get Hot
Dallas enters Sunday with the fifth-best record in the western conference with a 21-18 record. There is good and bad news. The good news is the Mavericks are under .500 at home this season being 7-10. But the bad news is they are 10-2 this season when scoring above 110 points. Some shooters to look out for include superstar Luka Doncic if he plays, Tim Hardaway Jr, and Reggie Bullock.
Cause Turnovers
The Bulls have to force Dallas to make mistakes and play as they did on Friday against Washington. Against Washington, the Bulls caused 15 turnovers, which led to 19 points off those 15 turnovers.
The Mavericks commit the second least amount of turnovers, 12.4 per game, only behind the Atlanta Hawks at 12.2. Chicago is sixth in the NBA with 18.6 points off turnovers per game and is seven with 13.8 fast break points per game.
Injury Report
Bulls
| Player | Status | Injury |
| Alex Caruso | Out | Foot, NBA’s Health and Safety Protocols |
| Javonte Green | Out for 2-4 weeks | Groin |
| Tyler Cook | Out | NBA’s Health and Safety Protocols |
| Patrick Williams | Out for 4-6 months | Wrist |
Mavericks
| Player | Status | Injury |
| Kristaps Porzingis | Out | NBA’s Health and Safety Protocols |
| Willie Cauley-Stein | Out | Personal Reasons |
| Luka Doncic | Day-to-Day | Ankle |
Game Prediction
Chicago will extend their win streak to ten games. Dallas allowed 82 points to a great Warriors squad, but don’t expect the Bulls to get cold. The Mavericks not having Porzingis will be a big part of why the Bulls will easily get to the paint, especially with the slash duo of LaVine and DeRozan. Another important factor is confidence, and every Bulls player has confidence, and they have great chemistry, which will help them win in Dallas Sunday night.
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