Tag: Dallas Mavericks

Bulls were ‘humiliated’ by Luka Doncic in loss to Mavericks

Luka Doncic “humiliated” the Chicago Bulls in their 127-92 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

It’s been a weird season for the Chicago Bulls. While an ugly start didn’t give fans much hope for a fruitful season, the Bulls are still firmly in the Play-In race, and they’ll almost assuredly be in the 9/10 game. They’ve been sneakily solid ever since their rough start, yet they still don’t have the talent to compete with the top teams around the league.

That last point was evidently clear on Monday night, as the Bulls suffered a blowout loss at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks. Former Bull Daniel Gafford and rookie big man Dereck Lively II played well, but it was ultimately the play of superstar guard Luka Doncic that caused Chicago’s demise.

The CHGO Sports YouTube channel discussed the game and how the Bulls were “humiliated” by Doncic in the 127-92 loss.

Doncic finished the game with 27 points, 12 rebounds, and 14 assists while shooting 9-of-23 from the field and 6-of-15 from beyond the three-point arc.

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Alex Caruso discusses challenge of guarding Luka Doncic

Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso talked about the challenge of guarding Luka Doncic.

One of the highlights of this Chicago Bulls’ season has been Alex Caruso. Last year, he made the All-Defensive First Team, and while his offense has taken a huge leap this season, his defense is still the primary way he affects the game. He’s constantly being challenged with guarding opposing teams’ best players for the Bulls, and Monday night was no different.

Caruso was tasked with guarding Luka Doncic on Monday. The Slovenian superstar is having an incredible season this year, and unfortunately for the Bulls, he took over the game. Alongside the play of Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II, the Mavericks took down the Bulls.

After the game, Caruso spoke about the challenge of guarding Doncic. (H/t Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune)

“He’s a unique player and can do a lot of things,” Caruso said. “He’s 6-7 and 200-whatever playing the point. He can play pick-and-roll, can play iso, he’s a three-level scorer. He doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. He’s one of the best players in the league for a reason. It’s always fun to play against some of the best players every night. Went from guarding Steph to Kawhi Leonard on the road in back-to-back games, and to come off a week of guarding Zion (Williamson) and Giannis (Antetokounmpo). For me, every night is a new, interesting challenge, and Luka’s diversity just brings another one.”

Caruso finished the game with four points, five rebounds, and three assists on 1-of-6 shooting on all three-pointers.

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Billy Donovan pinpoints what went wrong in Bulls loss to Mavericks

After the Chicago Bulls’ 127-92 loss to the Dallas Mavericks, Billy Donovan spoke about what went wrong.

As the Chicago Bulls continue to push forward toward their inevitable place in the Play-In Tournament, they need every win they can get. It’s unlikely they get up to the eighth seed and equally as unlikely they fall out of the Play-In altogether. However, they are in a battle with the Atlanta Hawks for homecourt advantage in the first Play-In game.

On Monday night, the Bulls suffered a brutal blowout loss to the Dallas Mavericks. They fell by a score of 127-92, as Luka Doncic and company completely picked them apart. More specifically, it was Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II who caused the Bulls’ demise.

After the game, head coach Billy Donovan spoke about how the Mavericks’ success in the paint was what hurt Chicago the most.

“We gave up a lot of rolls to the basket and offensive rebounds,” Donovan said via ESPN. “We’ve got to be more pulled in than we were. … We kind of were too worried with getting back out to that 3-point line instead of saying, hey, we’re gonna take away the roll.”

Gafford finished the night with 22 points while Lively had 20.

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How a Wilt Chamberlain NBA record could soon be broken by … Daniel Gafford

Daniel Gafford has played VERY well since his trade to the Mavericks.

When the Mavericks traded for former Wizards big man Daniel Gafford, it was quietly one of the most intriguing moves of the NBA’s trade deadline.

Gafford, 25, is a perfect lob threat to play alongside Dallas superstar Luka Doncic. Since his arrival on the Mavericks, especially after moving into the starting lineup, he has played particularly well.

In fact, Gafford is approaching historical efficiency records. Gafford has made 28 consecutive field goals and he somehow has not missed a shot in four games, the most of any player since the play-by-play era began in 1996-97.

With seven more makes in a row, he can break Wilt Chamberlain’s record of 35 consecutive field goals made. Here is Gafford’s explanation for how he is doing it (via CBS Sports):

“My philosophy for sure is just being consistent,” Gafford said Monday. “I have the mindset that I want to finish everything, no matter if there’s somebody in front of you, or there isn’t somebody in front of you. At the end of the day, I either dunk it or lay it in the rim.”

For what it is worth, Gafford is getting excellent looks at the basket.

Since arriving in Dallas earlier this season, 88% of Gafford’s attempts have come within four feet of the rim. That ranks in the 97th percentile among all big men, via Cleaning the Glass.

Meanwhile, the big man has a “shot quality” of 0.67 dating back to his first game with the Mavericks on Feb. 10. That ranks as the highest (minimum: 150 minutes) during that span, per PBPStats.

Gafford’s next games are against Golden State, Oklahoma City and Denver. He is in a solid position to potentially dethrone Chamberlain for this unique record.

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Mavericks’ Dereck Lively II reacts to career night: I’m just thankful for my teammates

Dereck Lively II returned from a one-game absence and produced a career performance to help lead the Mavericks to a victory over the Bulls.

Rookie Dereck Lively II returned from a one-game absence and produced a career performance on Monday to help lead the Dallas Mavericks to a victory over the Chicago Bulls.

Lively recorded 22 points, seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocked shots in the 127-92 win on the road. He made 11 of his 12 shot attempts from the field and finished a plus-22 in 20 minutes of work off the bench.

The Mavericks improved to 3-1 when Lively has at least 20 points. He scored 16 points alone in the first half, marking his highest-scoring half of the season.

“I just gotta be able to be thankful for my teammates finding me in the position I’m in,” Lively said. “Just finding little holes in the defense and just try to be able to score when I can.”

The 12th pick didn’t play on Saturday in a 142-124 win over the Detroit Pistons for personal reasons. He returned and finished in double figures for just the second time since missing seven games last month due to a nasal fracture

Lively again connected on several passes with Luka Doncic, who finished with 27 points, 14 assists and 12 rebounds. He has formed a strong bond with Doncic on the court and has given the All-Star a big target with his size and athleticism.

“I just like to turn the game into a track meet because I can’t out-muscle anybody,” Lively said. “We all know that. I can definitely get around people. I can outrun them and I gotta be able to use my stamina and energy to try to get up and down as many times as I can.”

The 7-footer has emerged as a key player for the Mavericks, averaging 8.9 points, seven rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.2 assists on 75.1% shooting from the field in 46 games. He ranks third in rebounds and blocks among all first-year players.

Lively and the Mavericks will now begin a three-game stretch against teams currently in the playoff picture: Golden State, Oklahoma City and Denver. Currently in eighth place, the team knows it is a crucial time to maintain its position in the standings.

“We gotta have discipline,” Lively said. “We gotta be able to follow our game plan and we gotta be consistent. If someone hits a crazy 3 or a crazy shot, it isn’t a time where we put our head down. It is a time where we lock in even more so we can take it out, get down the court and get to a bucket.”

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Mavericks sign undrafted rookie Alex Fudge to two-way contract

Fudge is averaging 8.1 points, five rebounds and 1.6 blocks on 47.3% shooting from the field in the G League.

Alex Fudge, who went undrafted in the 2023 NBA draft out of Florida, signed a two-way contract with the Dallas Mavericks on Monday, the team announced.

The news was first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Fudge signed a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers in July. He made four appearances with the team in the regular season, totaling four points and two rebounds in 14 minutes, before the Lakers waived him on Jan. 6.

The Mavericks were able to sign Fudge to a two-way contract after they upgraded AJ Lawson to a standard contract on Sunday. The team also has Greg Brown III and Brandon Williams signed to two-way contracts.

Fudge has spent the majority of the season in the G League with the South Bay Lakers, averaging 8.1 points, five rebounds and 1.6 blocks on 47.3% shooting from the field in 24 games. He has scored in double figures nine times, including a season-high 16 points on Jan. 3.

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Jayson Tatum lauds the egalitarian Boston Celtics offense after Mavs win

“As long as the end result is that we continue to build good habits and win, it’s all going to work itself out,” said Tatum.

Star Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum could be in the lead of the NBA’s 2024 Kia Most Valuable Player award race. But Tatum has elected to put his team first, transforming their play and record as a result, with Boston now clearly the best team in the league.

Speaking to ESPN’s Cassidy Hubbarth after the Celtics’ 138-110 blowout victory over the Dallas Mavericks, the St. Louis native opened up on that dynamic. “We have a really good team, and every night is going to look a little different (in terms of who gets the touches on the team),” he said.

“As long as the end result is that we continue to build good habits and win, it’s all going to work itself out.”

“We were really good last year, but we had a lot of things to work on,” Tatum added, reflecting on his past as well as his future. Asked about his 26th birthday, coming on Sunday, the Duke alum smiled. “I remember getting drafted at 19 like it was yesterday,” he said. “Now it’s year seven, and I’m about to be 26.”

A year many an NBA great has broken through to win a title, incidentally.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Celtics’ Jayson Tatum making MVP case with ‘outlandish effort’ in blowout win vs. Mavs

Even with a 37-point explosion from superstar Dallas wing Luka Doncic, the Celtics had the game in hand almost from tip to buzzer.

The Boston Celtics showed they are the best team in the NBA right now once again with an emphatic win over one of the hottest teams in the NBA. The Dallas Mavericks, who had previously won eight of their last 10 games in a very good Western Conference race, saw themselves get blown out by Boston to the tune of 138-110 at TD Garden on Friday night.

Even with a 37-point explosion from superstar Dallas wing Luka Doncic, the Celtics had the game in hand almost from tip to buzzer. With the win, the Celtics cemented an unreal 8-game lead over their next-nearest ball club in the East, the surging Cleveland Cavaliers.

NBC Sports Boston’s Eddie House joined Amina Smith postgame with Abby Chin catching up with star Boston forward Jaylen Brown as well in their most recent episode of “Celtics Postgame Live”.

Check it out above!

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Kyrie Irving on frosty welcome from home Boston Celtics crowd: ‘They have a right to boo’

“I think that’s what makes the theatrics of sports and competitive sports fun, and (you) just have to embrace it,” he said. “It’s a part of it.”

As they typically tend to do in response to his leaving the team for the Brooklyn Nets, fans of the Boston Celtics let Kyrie Irving — now with the Dallas Mavericks — hear their ire every time he touched the ball in Boston’s 138-110 blowout of the Mavs on Friday night at TD Garden.

The healthy rain of boos accompanied Irving’s nearly every move on the court, but the former Celtics floor general appeared to take it in stride, even as it appeared to impact his shot, with Irving going just 9-of-23 overall and 1-of-7 from deep. “Rightfully so,” began the Mavs guard on his response from the home crowd via CLNS Media.

“They have a right to boo and, you know, for my career record against them for the last few games I haven’t won so until I beat them, they have all the right to continue to boo.”

“I think that’s what makes the theatrics of sports and competitive sports fun, and (you) just have to embrace it,” he added. “It’s a part of it.”

Whether a kinder, mellower Kyrie will ever settle his debts in the minds of Boston fans remains to be seen, but it’s an interesting new wrinkle on an old saga, if nothing else.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Celtics destroy Mavericks in 138-110 blowout

Holding Dallas to just 26.5% from beyond the arc on the night, Boston quickly pulled away in the latter part of the third quarter and never looked back.

The Boston Celtics took the Dallas Mavericks‘ best punch in the first half of their home tilt with the Texan ball club on this past Friday night, then systematically shut the Mavs down on the perimeter in the second half.

Holding Dallas to just 26.5% from beyond the arc on the night, Boston quickly pulled away in the latter part of the third quarter and never looked back. Three Celtics starters scored at least 20 points in the 138-110 blowout, and a total of seven of Boston’s players put up double digit scoring. Against a team that had gone 8-2 in its previous 10 games in a stacked Western Conference, that’s no mean feat.

After the win, the host of the CLNS Media “How Bout Them Celtics!” podcast weighed in on the blowout victory.

Check it out in the clip embedded above!

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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