Utah Jazz Fall Flat in Chicago Running With the Bulls

The shorthanded Chicago Bulls stunned the Utah Jazz throughout their Saturday night meeting, where they would lead by as many as 15 points, in a much-needed 92-85 victory.

Winning at home on Saturday night against the Utah Jazz allowed the Chicago Bulls to jockey for positioning with the eighth seed in the playoff picture.

In the early minutes of the game, the momentum appeared to move in favor of the Bulls, allowing for a 15-6 run before the Jazz called for their first timeout of the contest. Much to their dismay, the Jazz would never hold a lead in the Saturday night showdown. A total team effort was exhibited in the game, giving Chicago the edge needed to stun their opponents.

In 30 minutes played on Saturday, Derrick Rose led the way for squad pairing 22 points with four assists and three rebounds. Nikola Mirotic also played well that evening, racking up 15 points, six rebounds and three assists. Using his size advantage over Jazz star Gordon Hayward proved to be effective for the second-year player.

Mirotic not only displayed skills in the post, pinning his man’s back to the basket for easy points, but his three-point shot was on point as well.

Doug McDermott, Jimmy Butler, Bobby Portis, and a slew of other players would make positive contributions in the game, as well. But in the case of Taj Gibson, his play on the court was arguably one of the main catalysts in leading the Bulls toward a win.

Gibson, though it’s likely he could have been sidelined out because of his hamstring, suited up for a reason and one reason only, and that’s to come out, play hard and provide the team with some emotional leadership. The sixth-year forward did all of that and then some.

In 31 minutes, Gibson was relentless on the boards, snagging 10 rebounds in addition to scoring 15 points and earning three assists.

Shutting down Derrick Favors was Gibson’s role on the other end of the floor. Throughout the first half, it appeared Favors worked as the lone wolf for his squad muscling his way into the paint for points. The Bulls would hold a 10-point advantage at halftime, though there were several occasions they could have distanced themselves more greatly from the Jazz.

None of this posed a concern to Chicago in the second half, with Gibson limiting Favors only to five points in the final stretch of the game.

Fred Hoiberg has shown a liking for the tenacity and toughness that Gibson brings on every given day, hence why he inserted him into the starting lineup earlier this season.

“He jumped the locker room at halftime,” Hoiberg said. “He got on those guys. Somebody missed a defensive assignment at the rim and it was great to hear him in there. He was pissed.”

McDermott commended the veteran forward for his work both on and off the court this season.

“Every once in awhile, Taj will snap on us kind of hard. I think we need that more to be honest,” McDermott said. “Everyone responded really well.”

Next: Should the Bulls Consider Starting Doug McDermott?

While the Bulls have sustained a number of injuries this season, the “next man up mentality” has phased no one on the squad more than Gibson. Since being inserted into the starting lineup, the sixth-year forward has been the one of the longstanding consistencies for the team and it shows, whether it’s numerically on the stats sheet or in other ways that cannot be tracked.

The squad hopes to extend their win streak at home on Monday when they take on the Sacramento Kings.