Bulls 102 Mavericks 98: Game 44 Recap

The Lead
Mavs can't get over the hump as the Bulls rebounding dominance sends Dallas to a home loss.

Box Score 

Leaders
Mavs
Points: Nowitzki, 24
Rebounds: Chandler, 12
Assists: Ellis, Rondo, 4
+-: Nowitzki, +4
Bulls
Points: Butler, Rose, 20
Rebounds: Gasol, 16
Assists: Butler, 6
+-: Gasol, +9

Game Ball
Dirk Nowitzki
24 Points, 7 rebounds, 10-15 FG

X-Factor
Taj Gibson
15 points, 7 rebounds, 6-10 FG

Goat Horns
Dwight Powell
0-4, 0 rebounds in 21 minutes

Play of the Game
After Monta Ellis' three point play with 28.6 seconds put the Mavs within 2 points, they force a miss by Derrick Rose, however in a fitting conclusion to the game, Rose secures the rebound to give the Bulls the win.

Stat of the Game
The Bulls dominated the Mavericks on the glass by a 47-30 margin, including 15 offensive rebounds compared to 21 Dallas defensive rebounds.

Of Note

• Rajon Rondo did not play the final 5 minutes of the game. After the game Rick Carlisle called it a "coaches decision".
• Derrick Rose was red hot in the first half, scoring 18 points on 6-8 shooting and hitting all three of his three point attempts. In the 2nd half, he only scored 2 points on 1-9 shooting.
• The Mavericks stayed in the game by forcing 24 Chicago turnovers, while turning it over only 12 times themselves.
• Besides Tyson Chandler's 12 rebounds and Dirk's 7, the rest of the Mavs mustered only 11 boards including only 5 from the remaining three starters: Parsons, Rondo and Ellis.
• The Mavericks never led at any point in the game, but they did briefly tie it twice in the third quarter.

Grades
Nowitzki: A
Parsons: B+
Chandler: A
Ellis: C+
Rondo: C
Harris: B-
Powell: D
Jefferson: C
Barea: B

Quote of Note
 "It was a coach's decision. Coach made a decision. It's as simple as that. I've been in this game a long time. It's not like it's the end of the world. I like what coach Carlisle has done for me this year. I don't have any regrets."
Rajon Rondo on not being in at the end of the game

They Tweeted It
 

H/T @steventurous pic.twitter.com/wQUYP5lHbW
— Bryan Gutierrez (@BallinWithBryan) January 24, 2015

Next Up
It's off to the Big Easy for the Mavs (30-14), for a Sunday matchup with All-Star starter Anthony Davis and the Pelicans (22-21).