Chicago @ Dallas preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 4, 2017 ) Chicago 71, Dallas 118

Both the Chicago Bulls and Dallas Mavericks have climbed out of last place in their respective conferences, but both enter their meeting Friday in Dallas on a sour note. The Bulls dropped three in a row following a 10-2 surge and they are giving up an average of 120.7 points during the slide.

"Guys in the locker room were talking about we have to be better," Chicago guard Justin Holiday told reporters after Wednesday's 124-115 loss to the Toronto Raptors. "We don't have to be perfect, but defensively we have to make sure we are doing everything right; can't just go out and think we are just going to outscore people." The Mavericks won a pair of defensive battles and then a pair of shootouts in an impressive four-game winning streak that included a victory over the Raptors. That run came to an end when Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry got free for a 3-pointer in the closing seconds in a 125-122 win over the Mavericks on Wednesday. Wesley Matthews made seven 3-pointers en route to a team-high 22 points for Dallas, which has won four straight over Chicago.

TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, NBCS Chicago, FS Southwest (Dallas)

ABOUT THE BULLS (13-25): Holiday was outstanding against Toronto with 26 points while fellow starting guard Kris Dunn had a game to forget on the offensive end by shooting 1-for-6 in 29 minutes. Dunn did hand out eight assists and may soon have another target to pass to as guard Zach LaVine is nearing a return from ACL surgery. Coach Fred Hoiberg told reporters that LaVine - who averaged 18.9 points with Minnesota last season - is expected to travel with the team to Dallas and Indiana and then reassess his situation once the team returns to Chicago.

ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (13-26): The Dallas players were taking no solace in pushing the defending champs to the wire, another indication that they have turned a corner following a difficult start to the season. "This is who we were supposed to be all along," Matthews told reporters. "We don't have a moral victory that we took the champs to a one-possession game. We really felt in our hearts we were supposed to win that one." The game against Golden State kicked off a stretch in which the Mavericks play eight of 11 at home, where they had won six of eight prior to the loss to the Warriors.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Bulls PF Lauri Markkanen is averaging 21 points on 53.4 percent shooting over his last four games.

2. Mavericks PF Dwight Powell tied a career high with 21 points against Golden State and he is 18-for-24 from the field over a four-game stretch.

3. Dallas entered Thursday ranked 24th in the league in scoring (101.6) and Chicago was 25th (101.4).

PREDICTION: Mavericks 110, Bulls 106