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Chicago Bulls at Utah Jazz: Instant Analysis of Bulls Win in Utah

By Matthew Price

Nov 15, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Taj Gibson (22) and guard Dwyane Wade (3) and forward Jimmy Butler (21) and guard Jerian Grant (2) react after a dunk by Wade against the Portland Trail Blazers during the third quarter at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 15, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Taj Gibson (22) and guard Dwyane Wade (3) and forward Jimmy Butler (21) and guard Jerian Grant (2) react after a dunk by Wade against the Portland Trail Blazers during the third quarter at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Bulls extended their winning streak to four, as they remain undefeated on their extended six-game road trip.

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Heading into tonight’s game, the Bulls were fresh off a three-game winning streak (watch out, people!) and had just throttled the Portland Trail Blazers in the Moda Center. The annual Circus Trip continued as the Bulls faced off against the Utah Jazz on national television (quick shout out to Dennis Scott’s first career sideline performance).

The key inactive players for tonight’s game: Rajon Rondo, Doug McDermott, and Michael Carter-Williams for the Bulls, and George Hill as well as Derrick Favors for the Jazz.

The first quarter started off as the Boris Diaw show, who immediately threw up three consecutive three-pointers (only one went in, though).

The Bulls started off hot thanks to the beginning of another strong Jimmy Butler performance, but the Jazz went on an 8-0 run capitalized by a beautiful and-one layup by Gordon Hayward, ultimately taking away Chicago’s initial energy burst.

At the end of the first, the Jazz led 26-25. Butler scored nine points and notched three boards, and for the Jazz, Rudy Gobert scored six and grabbed four boards (three of which were offensive).

The second quarter was one of the worst quarters of basketball I’ve witnessed so far this season. Both teams were extremely sloppy, committing several ugly turnovers. For Chicago, too often possessions finished with poor shots that came off of last-second isolations.

At the half, the Jazz led 43-41. The Bulls shot just 21 percent in the quarter and made just one field goal in the last 10 minutes of the quarter… until Butler hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer.

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For Chicago, the second half began fast-paced, as they went on an 8-0 in the first three minutes. The highlight of the run was a fantastic contact left-handed layup by Grant and a Taj Gibson floater that was tipped by Gobert but by some miracle, still went in.

That run was extended to 17-4 with 5:49 left in the third, as the Bulls began to really catch their rhythm. Dwyane Wade hit back-to-back jumpers, Robin Lopez had a beautiful block, and Gibson had a nice spin move leading to a layup.

At the end of the third, the Bulls led 66-58 after outscoring the Jazz 25-15 in the quarter. At this point, it needs to be noted that Lopez is a beast. (He had seven offensive rebounds at this point.) If you were wondering why the Bulls are the top offensive rebounding team in the NBA this season, there’s the biggest reason.

The hot streak continued into the fourth quarter as well, thanks to some nifty pump fakes by Wade and Nikola Mirotic, who pump-faked from his usual spot five feet behind the 3-point line and proceeded to throw down a nice jam.

Pump fakes weren’t all that Chicago was utilizing in their game-clinching run. Denzel Valentine drained a contested three-pointer, and Isaiah Canaan graciously made a reverse layup.

However, there was a sudden shift in the middle of the fourth. Suddenly, the Bulls couldn’t make shots once again. The Jazz went on a 10-1 run to cut the score to 80-72, but their nice run was temporarily stopped on a Wade step back jumper.

From there, it looked like the Bulls defense would carry them through the rest of the game, but that all changed when Dante Exum hit a one-handed three-point fling at the buzzer. Suddenly, the fans were on their feet, and it looked as Utah might actually come back from their 17-point deficit.

Thankfully for Bulls fans, two clutch mid-range shots, one from Wade and one from Butler, helped Chicago seal the victory and extend their winning streak to four. The final score was 85-77.

Chicago’s next game will be Saturday night against the red-hot Los Angeles Clippers. If their offense stays sluggish throughout most of the game like tonight, then it’ll be near-impossible for them to pull off the victory.

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