Just like old times…Chicago Bulls score season-high 127 points in win over Dallas, hold on despite late-game collapse

Kris Dunn scored a career-high 32 points to go along with 9 assists and 4 steals

Kris Dunn is the first Chicago Bulls point guard to go for 30 points since Derrick Rose.

Let that sink in for a second.

And in my opinion, last night represented Dunn’s best game as a professional. Even more so considering he was coming off of a game in which he shot an abysmal 16.7 percent from the field. The Chicago Bulls opened Friday night’s victory in Dallas with a play they used to run for Jimmy Butler quite a bit:

And once Dunn saw the basketball go through the net once, there was no looking back. He scored 32 points on 12-for-17 shooting, and his baskets were by means limited to the paint. Dunn hit four of his five 3-point attempts, and torched a defense that constantly went under screens when guarding him. He has been considered a great playmaker since his days at Providence, but under head coach Fred Hoiberg’s tutelage he has significantly raised his shooting percentages across the board. Dunn was the fifth-pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, and he was expected to develop into a great lead guard with his two-way play. But point guards usually take longer to find their footing in the league. Dunn looks like he has found a home, and he has found his game sooner than expected. #BullsNation is ecstatic, and Dunn’s great play has made Hoiberg say things like this:

Robin Lopez was his usual self, scoring 12 points and dominating the painted area to add some balance to the Bulls 3-point attack. Lauri Markkanen hit three of his five attempts from the 3-point line. Justin Holiday had a near perfect game, going five of six from 3-pt range, and going hitting all eight of his free throws. As a team Chicago shot a blistering 56.4 percent from the field, they controlled the glass (42–34 advantage in rebounds), and were more aggressive from the opening tip (31 Chicago free throws to Dallas’s 17).

The only things Dallas really outclassed Chicago in were passing and late game execution, which almost cost Hoiberg and co. the win. Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle has his group playing well, and they had 33 assists on their 49 made field goals. Their precise ball movement led to a flurry of 3-pointers late. Carlise had Dallas play a full-court press to try and get them back in the game. Nikola Mirotic threw one of the worst inbound passes of all time, which lead directly to a dunk.

According to ESPN, Dennis Smith Jr. scored 10 points in the last 44 seconds of the game. The Bulls finally started to look like the team everyone expected them to be, but held on due to two clutch free throws from Holiday. After the free throws, Carlisle had one last trick up his sleeve. The Mavs ran a play that was a deep pass-and-catch, into another pass to Yogi Ferrell for a 3-pointer that clanked off the backboard.

And that is how Chicago had to hold on to a victory despite scoring a season-high in points. Of course the victory was a bit of a mixed bag for Bulls fans as Chicago beat one of the teams that will be in the running for the №1 pick in the NBA Draft. Ping-pong balls in the lottery are valuable, and this win could sting down the line, especially since Dallas is the team directly in front of them in the unofficial tank race. But, along with Dunn’s development and Markkanen’s play, there is one more exciting development for Bulls fans that could turn the rebuild up a notch.

Chicago Bulls fans need good news, and so we got ya! You welcome.