Mavericks GameDay: Tough three-game homestand starts against Bulls

Bulls at Mavericks

7:30 p.m. Saturday, American Airlines Center, Dallas

TV: FSSW Radio: ESPN/103.3 FM and 1540 AM (Spanish)

Records: Bulls 16-11,

Mavericks 16-13

About the Bulls: Chicago comes in after beating the Thunder in Oklahoma City on Christmas Day 105-96. Jimmy Butler led the Bulls with 23 points, and Paul Gasol added 21 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and two blocked shots. … Butler leads the Bulls with 21.5 points and Gasol averages 15.9 points and is fifth in the league in rebounds (10.8) and also fifth in blocks (2.16). … Former NBA Most Valuable Player Derrick Rose averages 13.7 points, 5.2 assists and is shooting 37.3 percent from the field. … Nikola Mirotic is averaging 10.3 points and 6 rebounds. … This is the fourth back-to-back for the Bulls this season. They’re 2-1 in the second game of a back-to-back.

About the Mavericks: This opens a three-game homestand for Dallas that will also include the Milwaukee Bucks and world champion Golden State Warriors. … The Mavs are coming off Wednesday’s 119-118 overtime road victory against the Brooklyn Nets, a game in which Dirk Nowitzki passed Shaquille O’Neal to become the NBA’s sixth all-time scorer. … The Mavericks have won three of their past five games. … J.J. Barea scored a career-high 32 points and distributed 11 assists in the win over the Nets. … The Mavericks are 7-5 at home. … Dallas is 19-15 all-time at home against the Bulls and 34-34 all-time against Chicago.

This story was originally published December 25, 2015 at 7:04 PM with the headline "Mavericks GameDay: Tough three-game homestand starts against Bulls."