Playing without starter PJ Washington and center Dereck Lively II, the Dallas Mavericks faced Chicago on Wednesday night with the prospect of their first two-game losing streak of the young season and their five-game homestand turning even more sour.

But unlike two nights earlier against Indiana, center Daniel Gafford flexed his presence inside and the Mavericks imposed their will early and often, rallying to a 119-99 win at the American Airlines Center.

Kyrie Irving made his first six shot attempts and scored 15 of his 17 points in the opening 6:39. Luka Doncic registered 27 points, 13 assists and 7 rebounds and Dallas limited Chicago to 39% shooting in the first half.

“Now it’s just about building consistency,” said Irving, who unselfishly took just four shots through the first six minutes. “We know the difference in the kind of emotional pull you feel when you lose and then come back and respond and get a good win. It’s just night and day. I think it has a lot to do with our commitment, our attention to detail and just having fun with each other on the floor.”

And Gaford? After playing just 15 ineffective minutes on Monday and being played off the court by Indiana’s five-out offense, he responded with 17 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks on Wednesday.

“Just a sense of urgency,” Gafford said. “Better communication. Faster too.”

Even without Washington (right knee sprain) and Lively (right shoulder sprain), the Mavericks were able to avoid issues that plagued them early in the season, most notably committing excessive fouls and being slow in transition defense.

“We have a really nice basketball team,” coach Jason Kidd said. “It’s just that we have to find our rhythm now.”

On Wednesday, Dallas flipped the script by forcing 23 Chicago turnovers. That allowed the Mavericks to get in transition and dominate in points-off-turnovers, 28-13. The ball movement was clear. Dallas finished with 33 assists on 45 field goals.

“A lot of guys hit the ball early and I thought the balance was right so they couldn’t run on us,” Kidd said. “I thought the early movement of the ball really set the tone.”

Now Dallas (5-3) can close this homestand with a 3-2 record by beating Phoenix on Friday (ESPN). The Mavericks undoubtedly had loftier plans heading into this stretch, but Wednesday’s performance was a welcome uptick, especially with trips to Denver, Golden State and Utah looming.

Before Wednesday’s game, Kidd expressed concern that the game was similar to Monday’s, when Dallas fell to short-handed team Indiana as the Mavericks were confused by the Pacers’ five-out offense with a high octane, when Myles Turner poured in 30 points.

It certainly helped Dallas that Bulls leading scorer Zach LaVine was out with a sore groin, but Chicago entered the night as the NBA’s No. 1 team in pace — against a Dallas team ranked 28th ended in the transition phase.

“If you think Indiana is fast, they are even faster,” Kidd said.

In the Indiana loss, Dallas fell behind 15-2 and Gafford was minus-15 with just 4:45 of play time in the first quarter. On Wednesday, he was a plus-10 in 7:29 minutes of the first period, with three points and three rebounds, while also defending Nikola Vucevic, a player comparable to Turner in terms of perimeter shooting.

In a burst 65 seconds into the first quarter, Doncic, Irving and Klay Thompson sank 3-pointers as part of a 13-0 Mavericks run that blew the game open.

“With Doncic and Kyrie out there, it’s going to be really, really tough because not only can these guys really score at an elite level, they’re also very willing passers,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. “And with a guy like Klay, he’ll probably get a lot of those open looks from those guys.

“And listen: Klay has played on a lot of great teams. He knows what it takes to win and he is a consummate professional.”

Thompson scored 13 points on just 10 shot attempts on Wednesday, but his shooting ability wasn’t needed this night.

Kidd offered no timetable for Washington and Lively’s return. On the night, Dallas’ bench players contributed 36 points, but 35 of those came after halftime, including 27 in cleanup time of the fourth quarter after the Mavericks had taken a 30-point lead.

“With the injuries we have right now, it gives other guys a chance to play and see what we have,” Kidd said. “And that will only make the team stronger in this marathon.”

Photos: Luka Doncic dishes out 13 assists as the Mavericks beat the Bulls

View gallery

Find more Mavericks coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.