Mavs-Bulls Preview: Sixth-Seeded Mavericks Look For Fifth Straight Win

Mar 30, 2013; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks power forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) hits the game winning shot during the game against the Chicago Bulls at the American Airlines Center. Dallas won 100-98. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

DALLAS MAVERICKS (36-23) vs CHICAGO BULLS- Feb. 28 at 8:30 p.m. ET at American Airlines Center

The Dallas Mavericks will look to tie a season-high with their fifth win a row when they host the Chicago Bulls on Feb. 28 at the AAC. Game starts at 8:30 p.m. ET and can be seen on Fox Sports Southwest.

Dallas will look to sweep the season series vs the Bulls.

The Mavs have won 10 of their last 12 games, and have jumped from the 8th to the 6th seed in the West. Dallas is a half game ahead of the Warriors, and sits 2.5 games back of Houston for 5th.

Dallas swept the season series, 4-0, vs the Pelicans, 108-89, on Feb. 26. Monta Ellis led the Mavs with 23 points and seven dimes. Dirk Nowitzki added 18 points. He left momentarily during the start of the first quarter with a shoulder injury before returning.

Chicago, without Derrick Rose, is five games above .500 and is the 4th seed in the East and 8-2 in its last 10. The Bulls defeated the Warriors 103-83 on Feb. 26. Taj Gibson had a game-high 21 points and Joakim Noah grabbed 17 rebounds.

Last Meeting: The Mavs got 22 points from Ellis, and 14 points and 13 boards from Shawn Marion as they defeated the Bulls in Chicago 105-83 on Dec. 28. Dallas went up as much as 30 points after three quarters. Nowitzki added 18 points. Dallas shot 53 percent from the field while holding the Bulls to 43 percent shooting.

Three Excel In D-League: Dallas sent down Jae Crowder, Bernard “Sarge” James and rookie Shane Larkin to D-league affiliate Texas Legends to get more playing time. The Legends defeated the LA D-Fenders 121-103 on Feb. 27. All three had great games as Sarge scored 38 points and grabbed 18 boards. He also blocked four shots, grabbed 10 offensive rebounds and shot 18-of-20 from the field. Crowder messed around and got a triple-double with 23 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists. Larkin recorded nine points, nine dimes and five boards.

Climbing Up The Ranks: With this game, Nowitzki will pass Horace Grant for 39th in all-time games played at 1,166. If Nowitzki grabs six rebounds vs the Bulls, he’ll also pass Grant for 42nd in career boards. Vince Carter, who hit seven treys vs the Knicks on Feb. 24, needs six more 3-pointers to pass former Maverick, Peja Stojakovic for 8th all time.

Home Is Where The Heart Is: Dallas is 19-9 at home this year while the Bulls are 14-16 on the road. The Mavs have won 13 of the last 15 home match ups with Chicago.

The Team That Won’t Die: In their previous meeting in Dallas, Nowitzki dropped a season-high 35 points as the Mavs finished the game on a 15-1 run and defeated the Bulls 100-98. Nowitzki hit the game-winning 3-pointer with 2.9 seconds left. Nowitzki started the first half by hitting all eight shots from the floor.