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Wade stayed in Chicago

Since this is going to be the Bulls' fourth game in five days, they decided that Wade will stay in Chicago, which means a lot of work for Butler whose usage rate gets sky-high when Wade is out

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Unlike last season, when the injuries avoided their veteran roster, the Dallas Mavericks are struggling with a lot of absences this season. It's pretty clear already that they're going to miss the playoffs for the second time in 17 years, because after 18 games played, they've only got three wins. 

- Look, it's a 48-minute game and good starts are a very important part to winning in this league. But one thing I like is, if we get off to a slow start, our guys don't get discouraged. They keep battling. Guys are battling. We're hanging in, we're giving ourselves a chance, but we've just got to work through this period and get these guys fully healthy. You know, get these guys full speed and full minutes, and our chances will be much greater - the coach Rick Carlisle commented. 

Dirk Nowitzki, who played only five times this season, won't be playing the next two games because of his Achilles tendon, and that might even be longer than two games. 

- Dirk's situation is getting better, but he's actually "out" for indefinite period - the coach said.

J.J. Barea will also spend a few weeks out, and Deron Williams and Devin Harris have restricted minutes. There's an option of Seth Curry appearing on the floor tonight, he missed the road game in Charlotte because of his knee issues.

Even though they're not having the best time with the injuries either, the Chicago Bulls can be pretty happy about their start of the season. They won 11 of the 18 games, and their biggest win was perhaps the one last night when they beat the defending champions 111-105.

- We all know what we're capable of if we play the game the right way and are doing what we're supposed to do - Jimmy Butler said after hitting 26 points (8/20), with eight rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks.

Besides him, Dwyane Wade was the most efficient player with 24 points (11/23), and Taj Gibson added 23 (10/13) with 11 rebounds and five assists. Rajon Rondo was in a very good mood, too, with 15 points (7/12), 11 rebounds and 12 assists.

- I thought Rondo was great all night long,  getting guys out and running, pushing them. You can hear him yelling "run with me" to get the guys down the floor. Rajon was a huge factor - the coach Fred Hoiberg praised his point guard.

Since his team will be playing their fourth game in five days, they decided to leave Wade in Chicago, which means a lot of work for Butler whose usage rate gets sky-high when Wade is out. This game is very important for the Bulls because they'll be getting some pretty tough rivals in the next three games - Blazers, Pistons, Spurs.