Field Level Media
Nov 1, 2023
Grant Williams matched his career highs of 25 points and seven 3-pointers and the Dallas Mavericks improved to 4-0 for the first time since the 2004-05 season after notching a 114-105 victory over the visiting Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night.
Tim Hardaway Jr. recorded season highs of 24 points and seven 3-pointers for Dallas, which opened the season 4-0 for just the fourth time in franchise history. The Mavericks and Boston Celtics are the lone unbeaten teams in the NBA.
Luka Doncic contributed 18 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds for Dallas. Derrick Jones Jr. added 17 points for the Mavericks.
Zach LaVine scored 22 points and Nikola Vucevic added 21 points and a season-high 20 rebounds for the Bulls. DeMar DeRozan had 16 points and seven assists, Jevon Carter had 12 points off the bench and Coby White scored 10 points.
Kyrie Irving (foot sprain) missed his second straight game for the Mavericks. Teammate Maxi Kleber sustained a foot injury in the second quarter and missed the remainder of the contest.
Doncic was just 5-of-16 shooting, including 1 of 8 from 3-point range. He was averaging 39 points per game entering the contest.
Dallas shot 45.7 percent from the field, including 20 of 48 from 3-point range.
The Bulls made 47.2 percent of their shots and were 11 of 33 from behind the arc.
Carter scored five points during a 7-0 Chicago run early in the fourth quarter as the Bulls took a 90-85 lead.
Dallas answered with a 9-2 spurt that included a 3-pointer from Doncic and a four-point play by Hardaway to move ahead by two with 7:11 left.
After Chicago moved back ahead on baskets from LaVine and Torrey Craig, Williams sank his sixth trey to give the Mavericks a one-point lead with 5:38 remaining. Jaden Hardy followed with a basket 25 seconds later to make it 99-96.
More than 3 1/2 minutes later, Hardy connected on a 3-pointer to give Dallas a 106-100 advantage with 1:41 left.
Williams' final trey made it 112-102 with 27.5 seconds left as Dallas closed it out.
The Bulls held an 83-81 lead entering the final stanza.
LaVine was 5 of 6 from 3-point range while scoring 17 first-half points as Chicago led 50-49 at the break. Williams scored 13 in the half for Dallas.
--Field Level Media