Bulls at Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks' rebuild received an encouraging sign in the team's home opener and it will try to make it two straight when the Chicago Bulls pay a visit Monday night. Behind 19-year-old Luke Doncic's 26 points and a strong stretch run for 20-year-old Dennis Smith Jr. -- who scored 10 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter -- the Mavericks rallied past Minnesota 140-136 on Saturday.
Center DeAndre Jordan added 22 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks in his home debut for Dallas. "We're going to have ups and downs," Jordan told reporters. "We've got young guys with high character and poise with good basketball IQs." The Bulls have loads of young talent of their own but it has yet to translate into the win column, with Saturday's 118-116 defeat against Detroit in their home opener a particularly frustrating one. "It can't happen," guard Zach LaVine told reporters of the closing seconds in which he turned the ball over moments after the Pistons scored the go-ahead basket. "It has to be either a miss or a make, so that's really upsetting to lose that way. We played so good and to have it end like that, it's an emotional roller-coaster."
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, NBCS Chicago, FS Southwest (Dallas)
ABOUT THE BULLS (0-2): LaVine's inability to get off a potential game-winning 3-pointer soured an otherwise solid effort for one of the team's few healthy starters. "I loved his aggressiveness," coach Fred Hoiberg said of LaVine, who had 33 points. "I thought he started the game attacking and that's when he's at his best." Kris Dunn is expected to make his season debut Monday while fellow starters Lauri Markkanen (elbow) and Denzel Valentine (ankle) remain sidelined.
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (1-1): While Smith, Doncic and Jordan are leading a productive starting unit, Dallas has been given a big boost early on from a pair of veteran reserves. Forward Dwight Powell produced 35 points in just 34 minutes through the first two games and JJ Barea has a team-high 21 assists in 43 minutes. Harrison Barnes, the team's leading scorer a season ago at 19.2 points per game, has yet to play due to a hamstring injury.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Dunn averaged 25 points on 62.1 percent shooting and eight assists in two meetings -- both wins -- against Dallas last season.
2. Bulls SF Bobby Portis is averaging 12.5 rebounds through the first two games but was 2-for-12 from the floor against the Pistons.
3. Smith has two turnovers in 54 minutes through the first two games.