The Bulls have performed disappearing acts so many times this season that this one stood out for what didn’t leave American Airlines Center on Monday night.
Their effort.
Kirk Hinrich had long waved goodbye, earning two quick technical fouls and an ejection in the second quarter. Luol Deng vanished for a third-quarter stretch too, courtesy of an inadvertent elbow that opened a bloody gash over his right eye that required stitches.
And still, the Bulls wouldn’t go away.
They really had no business hanging around within five points late in the fourth quarter against one of the Western Conference’s elite and ultimately fell to the Dallas Mavericks 102-94.
The loss dropped the Bulls to a season-low 12 games under .500 with 26 games remaining.
“The whole thing for us is: Can we create the chemistry we need to have a nice, fluid offense?” interim coach Jim Boylan said before the game. ” Guys were moving, sharing the ball with each other. We’ve just got to sustain that for longer periods of time.”
Larry Hughes, who scored 14 in his second game as a Bull, made it 93-88 with 2 minutes 39 seconds remaining with a baseline jumper.
But Dirk Nowitzki, who led Dallas with 29, drew a foul on Tyrus Thomas at the other end and made two free throws. Following a miss by Drew Gooden, who tallied 17 points and eight rebounds, Jason Kidd scored on a layup to ice matters.
Dallas is now 3-1 since acquiring Kidd, who finished with 11 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.
Ben Gordon’s 25 points led the Bulls, who fell behind by 17 in the first quarter thanks in part to a brutal stretch by Hinrich. He committed three turnovers in 6:47.
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BULLS HITS
Bulls G Kirk Hinrich was ejected from Monday night’s game against Dallas after getting two technical fouls in a matter of seconds. Hinrich and Dallas G Jason Kidd were fighting for a loose ball at Chicago’s end of the court when the ball went out of bounds with 2:20 left in the first half.
The ball appeared to hit off Kidd last, but official Monty McCutchen ruled otherwise and gave possession to the Mavericks. Hinrich argued with McCutchen and got a quick technical foul, then kept arguing and got another one for an automatic ejection.
– New Bull Shannon Brown was inactive for the second straight game.
– Mark Cuban worked up a sweat shooting jumpers with his Mavericks players before the game.
– AP, Tribune
