CHICAGO — With 5:17 left to play and the Dallas Mavericks ahead by nine, some of the Bulls faithful started to head toward the exits.
But many more stayed.
“It’s getting ready to get real,” a fan sitting near me said just as Nikola Vučević hit a hook shot to narrow the gap. After the March Madness-style ending of the Bulls’ game against Los Angeles Thursday night, fans hoped a miracle would happen again.
Why not?
Chicago eventually cut the lead to 118-116 with 8.6 seconds left, but there were no late-game heroics to save them. The Mavericks, behind a 20-point performance from Klay Thompson, and Anthony Davis at four-minute intervals thanks to minutes restrictions, pulled out a 120-119 win Saturday night. Davis contributed 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists in his 30 minutes of playing time.
But both these teams have come alive lately, right as the season narrows and questions arise over whether a summer draft pick should be a higher priority than a high playoff seed. The Bulls, having still won nine of their last 12 games, remain in the hunt for the eighth (and potentially seventh) spot in the Eastern Conference. The Mavericks, meanwhile, have leaped to ninth in the West after being given new life with the return of their star big man.
“I think we’re 4-0 (with Davis in the lineup). That’s a good indicator,” Thompson said of Davis’ impact since his return from a six-week absence. “I love being his teammate. I love playing off of him.”
The Mavericks had fallen out of the Western Conference Play-In tournament standings, but now are a half-game above 10th-place Sacramento with Phoenix still lurking on the fringes. With Davis, the team is looking to make a final push to get in.
“It feels good. Obviously the job’s not finished,” forward PJ Washington said. “We just gotta keep going. I think these next couple games we can get a couple wins and just kind of get a momentum going heading into the end of the season. I’m super excited — we did good on this road trip.”
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said the team is focused on one game at a time.
“As you know, this group is close. They’re fighting for each other. They’re executing the game plan,” he said. “So to end the road trip, to go 3-1, now we get a chance to go home against (Brooklyn and) Atlanta.”
In his hometown, Chicago, Anthony Davis recorded his 1,800th career block at the 3:14 mark of the 1st quarter tonight, becoming the 25th player in NBA history to reach the milestone.
Davis also becomes the 11th player in league history to total 18,000+ points and 1,800+ blocks. pic.twitter.com/pEIHDU61Xn
— Mavs PR (@MavsPR) March 30, 2025
On the Bulls’ side, the loss to Dallas ended their winning streak at four. But rookie Matas Buzelis, who is important to Chicago’s future, said the standings aren’t their focus.
“We’re just (taking it) one step at a time,” he said. “We’ve got OKC next, so that’s what we’re focused on. We were focused on Dallas before the game. We’re not looking into the future. We’re in the moment.”
Buzelis scored 28 points Saturday and Vučević and Coby White each added 15.
While the standings and playoff implications might not be on the players’ minds, Bulls coach Billy Donovan is certainly aware of where they stand and what their potential outcomes look like as the team continues to outperform expectations after trading superstar Zach LaVine to Sacramento near the trade deadline.
“I would think that from Atlanta to ourselves to Orlando to Miami, every single game you’re jockeying there. We’re all kind of bunched up together,” Donovan said. “Miami was a game behind us. We were maybe a game behind Atlanta. Everybody’s bunched up and all of these games are like that. We’ve tried to treat it like that. There’s emotions that go either way. And if you win a game or lose a game, you’ve got to be able to pick yourself back up.”
What would a trip to the playoffs mean for each team?
Barring something wholly unexpected, both would likely have a short stay in the postseason. The Mavericks look as if they’re trying to outplay the stench of the Luka Dončić trade, though it’s likely only a championship could get the organization past that. The Bulls, should they sneak past the early round, would face stiff competition in the East, though they’re certainly a team that could be dangerous and cause some problems.
Regardless, both teams see possibility looming.
“I can’t wait to build, not just for this year but for the future,” Thompson said of the vibes Davis is bringing to the Mavs. “We’ve got a really deep talented team and one day Kyrie (Irving) will be back in the lineup too and that’ll be a special moment, when we can all share the floor again.”
(Photo: Justin Casterline / Getty Images)
