Lucullus faced rebellions across Asia, a smaller hostile force in the west, a besieged Roman colleague, and Mithridates's main army to the north. In Gareth C. Sampson's interpretation, keeping the western supply route open mattered more immediately than suppressing every rebellion. Relieving the colleague beyond the Pontic army or striking into Pontus would leave the enemy king free to act. The argument treats Mithridates himself as the centre of Pontic power, so seizing territory offered less immediate value than defeating him. Lucullus therefore chose to confront the king despite being outnumbered. Mithridates's involvement in a protracted siege gave Lucullus an opportunity to advance north. The surviving sources leave some preliminary operations uncertain.
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Why Lucullus chose Mithridates over every other crisis
Lucullus entered a rebellious province with a mixed army and chose to strike at Mithridates himself rather than solve every secondary problem first.