Mavs Drop Another Frustrating Game In 109-107 Loss to Bulls

The Dallas Mavericks once again fell in frustrating fashion on Monday night, falling to the Bulls 109-107 in Chicago.

Since February 1, four of the six losses for the Dallas Mavericks have come to teams below-.500 for the season, including losses to the Atlanta Hawks, the Memphis Grizzlies, and the Washington Wizards. 

The fourth of those inexplicable losses came on Monday night when Dallas went into Chicago on the second end of a back-to-back and lost multiple double-digit leads, en route to a 109-107 loss to the Bulls. 

Without the services of Kristaps Porzingis and Seth Curry offensively, Dallas struggled to put together a consistent scoring attack against Chicago, shooting 48.2 percent from the floor and 29.3 percent from beyond the arc for the game. 

Despite the poor offensive output, however, Dallas was able to pull back within striking distance on two separate occasions late in the game. Once with 8:03 to go in the fourth quarter, and then again with just 15.3 seconds to go in regulation, only to fumble away both opportunities in frustrating fashion.  

"We gave ourselves a chance to win..."

Hear what Rick Carlisle had to say following the @dallasmavs close loss in Chicago.#MFFL | @FrontierCorp pic.twitter.com/ZbfORPFDV6

— Bally Sports Southwest (@BallySportsSW) March 3, 2020

Tim Hardaway Jr. and Luka Doncic each did their best to keep the Mavs in it in the second half, scoring 26 points and 23 points, respectively, but it wasn't enough, with the rest of the Mavs team combining for just 58 points in the game. 

Chicago, on the other hand, was able to put just enough scoring together to keep the Mavs at bay, ending the game with six different players in double figures for the night, including 19 points from rookie sensation Coby White, 18 points from Otto Porter Jr. (who appeared in his first game since November 6th), and 17 points from Denzel Valentine. 

There was a dramatic last-gasp attempt to salvage this one when Doncic heaved a desperation potential game-winner from half-court ...

Luka Doňcić : 23 points on 8-20 shooting, 1-8 from 3, 6-9 from the FT line, 5 rebounds & 9 assists in 38 minutes (Missed the final shot of the game from halfcourt as time expired) pic.twitter.com/MLzLYL077v

— Lee Harvey (@MusikFan4Life) March 3, 2020

“That’s why I practice that shot,” Doncic said of his attempt. “I was really pissed I didn’t make that shot. I’m supposed to make that shot.”

The Mavs (37-25) will be back in action on Wednesday night when Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans come to town for the fourth and final matchup of the season between the two teams. 

The Mavs have swept the Pelicans so far in the season series, but have yet to face Williamson to this point. Williamson has averaged 24 points and seven rebounds in his 15 appearances this year.