Dallas Mavericks head to Chicago to face the Bulls on Saturday night – NBA Preview
The Chicago Bulls will be hosting the Dallas Mavericks at the United Center on Saturday in the only game these two teams play against each other this season.
The Bulls have not had a good last few games. They are 5-5 in the 10 games played in April and after dominating the league for much of the season, the Bulls are not going into the playoffs confidently. Their most recent loss was their last game against Miami Heat. The Bulls could have clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference with a win over the Heat but they lost, tying the season series 2-2 and giving Miami a chance to displace the Bulls from the top spot with a few games remaining in the season.
The Bulls will likely play without Derrick Rose once again as he will sit out his fourth straight game with a foot injury. Rose is expected to return Wednesday night when the Bulls travel to Indianapolis to take on the Indiana Pacers. Chicago are 17-9 without Rose this season but need him to return before the playoffs begin so that he can settle back into his rhythm.
The Dallas Mavericks, on the other hand, are at 6th position in the Western Conference and will look to solidify their position with a win Saturday night. They are currently 1 game ahead of 7th placed Denver Nuggets. They come into Saturday night’s game having won their last two.
The last time these two teams played was Jan 20th 2011, when the Bulls defeated Dallas 82-77. Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer did not play that game but the Bulls were able to come out with a win on the back of Derrick Rose’s 26 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds.
The Bulls are the best defensive team in the league and that is their strength and up against the resurgent defending champions, they need to ensure a dominant presence in the paint area - grabbing rebounds, making blocks and not letting Dallas get open spaces.
Dallas are a good 3 point shooting team so the Bulls need to guard the perimeter vigorously. Dirk Nowitzki is hot at the moment, scoring 40, 35 and 16 points in his last three games. The Bulls need to have an answer for him come Saturday, and they have the man to do it in Joakim Noah. Noah has to come big, especially in rebounds and infusing hustle, if the Bulls want to win.
Richard Hamilton had a dismal performance in the game against the Heat, scoring 6 points off 1 of 6 shooting. In the absence of Rose, he needs to provide the Bulls with the strength in the back court that they desperately need. And Bulls have to play to their game plan, getting a lot of support from the bench and role players.
It is an important game for Chicago, more so than for Dallas. With a win here, then can enter their last two games of the season confident and then look towards the playoffs without having to carry too much extra baggage of the regular season with them.
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