That game seemed winnable, but when you're plagued with mistakes, its hard to do so. Storylines?

-Dirk's knee is not fully healthy, and the Bulls knew this. They were crowding him all night, daring him to put it on the floor, which he could not do effectively due to his lack of mobility.

-14 turnovers, many of them unnecessary and just plain sloppy.

-For whatever reason, the Mavericks cannot box out against Chicago. 17 offensive rebounds for the Bulls, and a 51-41 total edge in rebounding, following the trend set in the previous meeting against them.

-Remember, this was the second game of a back to back, with travel in between, following a huge win against a very good team. A let down is not welcome, but nor is it totally surprising. Don't get too down about this loss.