Chicago Bulls: 3 takeaways from decisive victory over the Mavs

The Chicago Bulls showed a lot about themselves in yesterday’s victory over the Dallas Mavericks, for better and for worse. The win was a long time coming, ending as their first victory since a 111-108 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Jan. 5.

Leading by 29 points from starting big Lauri Markkanen and 61 total points from the bench, the Bulls withstood an outstanding night from Dallas superstar Luka Doncic to take home a convincing victory.

With their losing streak over, now is the perfect time to look at the Bulls strengths and weaknesses. They did a lot well, and a lot not so well, in their win over the Dallas Mavericks Sunday afternoon.

With this in mind, here’s a deeper look into three takeaways from the Bulls win over the Mavs, by a solid 16-point margin, on the afternoon of Jan. 17.

1.Lauri Markkanen is back, and is the key to Chicago’s success

In his first game back from COVID-19 protocols, Markkanen was far from his usual self, registering just 16 points and six rebounds on 5-of-14 FG in the Bulls’ overtime loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on the night of Jan. 15

Sunday night marked the true return of the Finnish big man that fans hope can ascend to All-Star status. Markkanen finished the game with 29 points and 10 rebounds, leading the team in both stats.

Having Markkanen healthy and in the starting lineup adds a whole new dimension to the Bulls’ offense. He was doing it all yesterday, and doing it with an aggression that he’s often criticized for lacking.

Having a scoring presence in the frontcourt helps balance the attack in a way that they don’t have otherwise available to them, and will be a key factor going forward. If Markkanen can stay healthy and stay this aggressive, it completely changes the outlook of this team for years to come.

2. The defense is unacceptably bad

The Bulls may have come away with the win Sunday, but the biggest headline from the game had nothing to do with their success.

Instead, the main storyline coming from the Bulls’ victory was actually about Dallas star Doncic’s outstanding performance against Chicago. Doncic totaled an absurd triple double of 36 points, 15 assists, and 16 rebounds.

Doncic is one of the most talented players in the Association and is a threat to go for a triple double any night, but a gaudy stat line like that is an unacceptable total to have hung on a team with playoff aspirations.

Doncic’s big night is emblematic of problems that have been plaguing Chicago all season long. The Bulls rank 27th in the NBA in defensive rating, allowing teams to light them up on the perimeter at a 37.8 percent shooting clip from three.

Doncic took full advantage of this, shooting 6-of-11 from deep against the Bulls, a boost from the abysmal 29.8 percent he’s shot from three so far this season.

If the Bulls want any chance to consistently string wins together, they are going to need to improve greatly on the defensive end.

3. Garrett Temple is the steal of the offseason

When the Bulls signed veteran journeyman Garrett Temple in the offseason to a one-year contract worth just shy of $5 million, the expectation was that the 11th year swingman would be a strong locker room presence for the younger pieces on the roster.

Temple has been all that and then some. Earning the nickname ‘Temple of Doom’, the 34 year old has been an outstanding bench piece this season, averaging 9.7 points while shooting a scorching 43.1 percent from deep.

He absolutely exploded for the Bulls last night, playing a huge role in the bench takeover against the Mavs.

Temple scored 21 points total, 15 of which came in the Bulls’ explosive second quarter. He was on fire for much of the night, and contributed in a number of ways on both ends of the floor.

The Bulls managed to pick up an outstanding veteran presence and consistent sharpshooter for almost nothing. His leadership has had an immense impact on the Bulls this season, and that has never been clearer than it was in last night’s victory.