The Mavs have been getting off to sluggish offensive starts lately, but that was anything but a problem tonight. Dallas scored its first 12 points of the game in the paint and practically lived at the rim for the entire quarter, scoring 1.231 points per possession in the frame and 32 overall. Dallas is 9-3 this season when scoring 30+ points in the first quarter.
The Mavs had an even more successful third quarter, scoring 1.5 points per possession. Unfortunately, though, the club turned it over five times in both quarters, which led to some easy Bulls points the other way.