Game Recap: Bulls make history in win over Jazz

Chris Nicoll - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese - Senior Writer - 12 hours ago

SALT LAKE CITY - Who would've thought that after the trades, the injuries, and the overall inconsistent play by this Chicago Bulls (29-39) team, they were just three points away from potentially taking over the No. 9 seed and picking up a six-game winning streak. Even with their loss to Houston over the weekend to kick off a crucial six-game road trip, the Bulls are suddenly one of the hottest teams in the East and entered Monday's game with the Utah Jazz (15-54) looking to win their fifth game in their last six.

When you looked at this West Coast trip, everyone thought wins would be tough to come by, but the one game the Bulls had to have was this game against the Jazz, as they are not only the worst team in the league but also have the worst turnover differential in NBA history. All that put together had the feeling of a trap game, as these are the games Chicago has had issues winning in the past.

Even after the Bulls opened up the game with a nine-point lead after one, they never felt comfortable as the Jazz pulled within one point at the half. Utah then came out strong to start the second half to grab an early lead before the Bulls put the hammer down, capped off by the 25-19 fourth quarter to pick up another victory 111-97. With the win, not only does Chicago inch closer to the No. 9 seed, but they made some history as they scored at least 110 points in their 14 straight games, the longest such streak in their history.

That alone is hard to believe considering the teams they have had in the past, but throughout this team's struggles, that is an accomplishment worth noting. A big reason for the Bulls offensive success over the past month has been their pace of play and their ability to get balanced scoring across the board which was again the case in this one. Not only did all five starters land in double figures, but six players in total for the Bulls as Coby White led the way yet again.

Fresh off his Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors, White overcame a 2-10 night shooting from distance to lead all scorers with 26 points to begin a new week in style. He has been on quite a tear for the past few weeks despite struggling to shoot the ball, and that has to be a positive sign for the Bulls.

Even with White leading the offense once again, Tre Jones had arguably the best game of anyone. He continued to shine, dropping 18 points and dishing out 12 assists. Throw in 17 points from Matas Buzelis and Kevin Huerter, and the Bulls' offense was cooking most of the night, which is what they wanted to see.

One of the players to watch the rest of the season is Nikola Vucevic and how Billy Donovan handles him down the stretch. Looking at this game from the outside, Vucevic was downright terrible, which his 3-15 shooting would indicate. Still, he managed to finish with 10 points and 10 rebounds to post another double-double, which has been the norm for him most of the season.

When he struggles, you would like to see Patrick Williams and Zach Collins pick up the slack, but with Collins not scoring a single point and Williams finishing with just five, their lack of production lately is a concern. Thankfully for Chicago, it was Dalen Terry stepping up as he was the final double-digit scorer for the Bulls and added 12 points off the bench.

Not only have the turnovers been an issue for the Jazz all season, but for whatever reason, their offense has struggled to do much of anything, as Lauri Markkanen led the way with 16 points. Nearly five years after letting him walk, this has to be viewed as the one player who got away as the Bulls gave up on his development far too quickly. Markkanen was the only starter in double figures, and it was up to the Jazz bench to keep things close.

For the most part, they could do that as Keyonte George led the bench with 16 points. You also had Jordan Clarkson chipped in with 14 points, and Brice Sensabaugh added 13 points as those three managed to keep the Jazz in the game until late. Apart from those three, no one on the Jazz could generate much of anything on the offensive end as the Bulls picked up the win they had to have.

RAPTORS 905 EDGE WINDY CITY

In what was the only G-League game on the schedule Monday night, the Windy City Bulls (10-20) took on the Raptors 905 (13-16) and were looking to come away with the weekend sweep. After nearly blowing a nearly 20-point lead on Saturday before holding on for the victory, the Bulls found themselves in a similar position as they used a massive third quarter to grab a six-point lead.

Then came the fourth, where the Raptors found a way to battle back before taking a late lead and holding on for the 115-114 win. Javon Freeman-Liberty was the star of the night for Windy City as he showed up in a big way against his former team to lead the Bulls with 29 points. He was joined by Emmanuel Miller and his 22-point, eight-rebound effort as those two paced the Bulls offense most of the night.

Leading the way for the Raptors was a quartet of offensive weapons, including Evan Gilyard II, who led all scorers with 34 points in the win. The Raptors also benefitted from Tylor Perry and his 25 points off the bench, while Quincy Guerrier made it three 20-plus scorers by adding 20 points in the win.