Chicago takes on Dallas, seeks to end 3-game slide

By Canadian Press on January 9, 2026.

Dallas Mavericks (14-24, 11th in the Western Conference) vs. Chicago Bulls (17-20, 10th in the Eastern Conference)

Chicago; Saturday, 8 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Chicago heads into the matchup against Dallas as losers of three in a row.

The Bulls have gone 10-9 at home. Chicago is 6-4 when it wins the turnover battle and averages 14.1 turnovers per game.

The Mavericks are 4-14 on the road. Dallas is the leader in the Western Conference scoring 17.9 fast break points per game led by Cooper Flagg averaging 3.5.

The Bulls average 14.0 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.3 more made shots on average than the 11.7 per game the Mavericks allow. The Bulls average 113.1 points per game, 8.1 fewer points than the 121.2 the Bulls give up.

TOP PERFORMERS: Nikola Vucevic is averaging 16.5 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists for the Bulls. Matas Buzelis is averaging 17.7 points over the last 10 games.

Naji Marshall is averaging 13.3 points for the Mavericks. Flagg is averaging 20.6 points over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Bulls: 5-5, averaging 113.9 points, 46.3 rebounds, 30.8 assists, 5.1 steals and 5.2 blocks per game while shooting 46.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 119.0 points per game.

Mavericks: 3-7, averaging 113.5 points, 45.8 rebounds, 25.7 assists, 6.4 steals and 5.0 blocks per game while shooting 49.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 117.5 points.

INJURIES: Bulls: Noa Essengue: out for season (shoulder), Jalen Smith: out (concussion protocol), Josh Giddey: out (hamstring), Zach Collins: out (toe), Kevin Huerter: out (back).

Mavericks: Dereck Lively II: out for season (foot), Kyrie Irving: out (knee), Dante Exum: out for season (knee), Anthony Davis: day to day (hand), P.J. Washington: day to day (ankle), Brandon Williams: day to day (illness).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

The Associated Press

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