Game Preview #51: Chicago Bulls at Dallas Mavericks

With wins in four of their last five games, the Bulls are playing as well as they have at any point this year. At the end of a seven-game road trip, they roll into Dallas to face the Mavs, who have been doing pretty well for themselves lately. They had a little hiccup on Thursday against the depleted Jazz, but won four in a row before that, including victories over the Magic and Blazers.

Here are some matchups to watch:

Derrick Rose vs. Jason Kidd

The Mavs’ win streak started when Rick Carlisle decided to give Kidd control of offensive play-calling. Kidd, of course, is a great passer and QB at the point guard spot, so it helps to have that Dallas team that’s so dependent on their plodding style comfortable with their pace. But at this point in his career, Kidd is a defensive liability—Deron Williams was a one-man wrecking crew against him. This will be a test of Derrick’s point guard senses: Will he be able to exploit Kidd’s defensive shortcomings, while stopping from making in impact on the boards (an area in which he’s killed this team in the past)? And will Rose have the awareness to keep pushing the ball against a team that isn’t comfortable running-and-gunning?

Bulls bigs vs. Dirk Nowitzki

This is a potentially dangerous matchup for the Bulls. Joakim Noah has the size and quickness to deal with Dirk’s variety of skills, but when he’s on Dirk, there’s no one else with the size to take their centers. If Tyrus is engaged defensively, he can do a decent job, but it’s when we start putting in the subs that we get trouble. Nocioni’s effort doesn’t make up for 5 inches, Gray has the agility of a cement truck, and if we try to play small, Deng doesn’t have the muscle to stop him in the post.

Luol Deng vs. Josh Howard

Deng and Howard are very similar players: Long, perimeter-oriented small forwards that do a little big of everything, a great complimentary player but probably not a go-to-guy. But look at the numbers—Deng is playing better. Howard’s scoring more, but Luol grabs more boards and gets his numbers without needing the ball in his hands anywhere near as much. And Luol’s season stats are dragged down by his terrible November—his excellent play since returning from injury has been discussed elsewhere. So while I expect this matchup to end up mostly in a wash, keep your eye on which of the two players seems to have the edge.

Thanks to the Mavericks’ improved play, AccuScore has them as a 70% favorite. But if there’s anything we’ve learned from this road trip, it’s that this Bulls team is full of surprises. If we have real aspirations of one of those last playoff spots, tonight is an opportune time to make a statement.

You can check out the game on CSN-Chicago.