Chicago at Dallas
Time: 7 PM CST
TV: ESPN
Spread: DAL -6.5
Total: 204
Betting odds c/o Bovada
The Chicago Bulls, like a few other clubs in the Association, are a better road team than it is at the United Center. On the road this season, the Bulls are 15-6 and will travel to face the Dallas Mavericks to face Dirk Nowitzki and crew.
Dallas is 14-6 at home and No. 4 in the West right now; the Mavs will be 6.5-point favorites in this affair according to late NBA odds on Bovada.
Dallas has won its past three games after winning just four of its previous seven before that. Dallas’ most recent ‘W’ came Wed (Jan 21) night against the Minnesota Timberwolves as the Mavs won 98-75 behind 22 points from offseason signee Chandler Parsons.
Parsons has not increased his production much since his time in Houston, but he has fit the Mavericks game plan perfectly, and perhaps that is just as important. The former Florida Gator is posting 15.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game while shooting 36.3 percent from three-point range. Parsons’ job and each scorer on the team will be aided by the deft passing of All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo, however.
Rondo has appeared in 15 games for the Mavs now and is still establishing his comfort and niche within the offense. He’s averaged 10.7 points and 7.3 assists, but both figures are likely to climb as the season progresses. There is the aspect of Rondo having to share the ball with Monta Ellis, but the Mavs wouldn’t want it any other way.
Ellis, a discarded talent from Golden State after the Warriors brought Stephen Curry along, has thrived in Dallas. He’s leading the team with 20 points per game and though he isn’t the most efficient (18.1 PER), he gives the Mavs the scoring the team needs.
Bringing Tyson Chandler back to the Big D seems to have been the only way to return this team to contention, and though Chandler isn’t a huge statistical impact player, his influence on the court and his intangibles are clearly seen by the intelligent hoopshead. The Mavs are a serious threat to each and every team in the West, and have seemingly rekindled the chemistry and talent levels present in the 2010 championship squad..
The Chicago Bulls are a different team than it was prior to Derrick Rose tearing his ACL some three years ago. Jimmy Butler has emerged as the de facto No. 1 option within the offense, and he’s embraced the role. Butler is averaging 20.5 points per game, and is helping form a great 1-2 tandem and pick and roll with perennial All-Star Pau Gasol.
Gasol has resurrected his game this season under head coach Tom Thibodeau, and Gasol’s looking competitive and interested again. His career was never in question, after all, only the way in which Mike D’Antoni was misapplying his talent and skill set. Thibodeau knows that structuring an offense to specifically integrate Gasol’s talents is a great aid towards team success. Both Butler and Gasol have lightened the pressure on Derrick Rose, who seems to be coming along reasonably well.
Rose still only shows flashes of what made him the youngest MVP in history, but flashes are enough to expect the dominance may return someday. He’s relying a lot more on jumpers—and missing them—Rose is shooting just 41 percent from the floor. Even so, he is at the mid-way point in a season which expectations should have been tempered. If he’s able to establish his comfort zone by the postseason, the Bulls will be in a very luxurious position.
Rose is still leading the team in assists, dishing out 5.1 per game, and his playmaking ability is absolutely vital for the Bulls to function at its best. While Gasol and Joakim Noah (questionable, ankle) can make a lot happen from the high post, a penetrating guard opens up the court far more than an adept-passing 5-man.
