Chicago Bulls: Upset opportunity presented with Luka doubtful for Mavs

The Chicago Bulls could have a decent shot to upset the Dallas Mavericks at home on Jan. 3 as they could be without superstar point guard Luka Doncic.

There’s a clear opportunity for first-year head coach Billy Donovan and the Chicago Bulls to get an upset win over the Dallas Mavericks on the night of Jan. 3. Donovan and the Bulls return home to the United Center to round out the weekend against their first Western Conference foe of the season so far.

The Bulls are coming off a tough 30-point dismantling loss at the hands of the divisional foe Milwaukee Bucks and the reigning back-to-back NBA MVP forward Giannis Antetokounmpo on the night of Jan. 1. The Bucks beat the Bulls in the Cream City on New Years Day by the final score of 126-96.

That was the fifth game, in six tries, this season for the Bulls where they allowed at least 124 points. And four of those five games of giving up a bevy of points resulted in losses. Hopefully this will not be the fifth for the Bull on the season to date.

What will work in the Bulls favor in this game is the news that the Mavericks will be missing their best player. Superstar point guard Luka Doncic and the reigning All-NBA First-Team selection was recently graded from questionable to doubtful on the late afternoon of Jan. 3, as he’s dealing with a left quad contusion.

Longtime head coach Rick Carlisle and the Mavs are also missing the likes of standout forward Kristaps Porzingis as they try to upend the Bulls to end the weekend. But it won’t be easy without their two best players.

What does work in the Mavs favor, though, is the fact that the Bulls will be missing four players of their own due to violations of the league’s health and safety protocols. Amid those four Bulls players missing in this game will be power forward Lauri Markkanen and combo guard Tomas Satoransky.

And what the Mavs are missing in Doncic is their leader who is a true MVP contender this season. In five games played so far this season, Doncic averaged 24.4 points per game, 7.6 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.4 blocks. And he’s shot 43.2 percent from the field, 16.1 percent from beyond the arc, and 77.8 percent from the free-throw line.

Moreover, the Bulls will be hoping to take advantage of this opportunity and notch their third win of the regular season slate. Their only two wins on the season to date came over the Washington Wizards on the road back on Dec. 29 and 31.

Meanwhile, the Mavs come into this game with a record of 2-3, coming off a nice home win back on Jan. 1 over the defending Eastern Conference champs Miami Heat by a 10-point margin. The game between the Bulls and Mavs will tip off at 7 p.m. CT at the United Center in Chicago on Jan. 3.