Bulls best Jazz for fourth win in row
SALT LAKE CITY -- Jimmy Butler scored 20 points and Dwyane Wade added 18 to lead the Chicago Bulls to their fourth consecutive victory, a 85-77 decision over the Utah Jazz on Thursday night.
Robin Lopez added 10 points and 12 rebounds for the Bulls, who won their third consecutive road game. Chicago (8-4) overcame shooting 36.7 percent (33 of 90) from the floor by holding Utah to 38.5 percent (30 off 78) from the field.
Rudy Gobert scored 16 points, collected 13 rebounds and blocked three shots to lead the Jazz (7-6). Dante Exum chipped in 14 points and Rodney Hood added 12 for Utah, which lost its second straight home game.
The Bulls took a 77-60 lead with 9:17 left on a reverse layup from Isaiah Canaan, capping a 11-2 run overall.
Utah chipped away at the lead and cut the deficit to 82-77 after Exum beat the clock with a 3-pointer and Gobert scored a put-back layup on consecutive possessions. However, the Jazz did not score again over the final 1:57 and Butler iced it with a step-back jumper with 1:11 remaining.
The Bulls jumped out to an early 14-7 lead behind back-to-back jumpers from Butler and Lopez. Utah answered by running off eight unanswered points, taking the lead on a three-point play from Gordon Hayward. The Jazz eventually built up a 24-20 advantage behind a Gobert dunk and a corner 3-pointer from Joe Johnson.
Wade lit a fire under Chicago early in the second quarter, scoring a pair of jumpers as part of a run of four straight baskets by the Bulls. It helped Chicago take a 34-29 lead. Then the Bulls went ice cold on offense as the quarter progressed. They missed 10 straight shots and 23 of 25 over the final 9:50 of the first half.
Utah couldn't really take advantage of the drought. The Jazz reclaimed the lead behind back-to-back layups from Hayward and Gobert. An alley oop dunk by Hood put Utah up 43-38 with 1:11 left before halftime.
Butler provided a huge spark when he buried a running 3-pointer to beat the halftime buzzer, slicing Utah's edge to 43-41.
Chicago built on it on both ends coming out of the locker room. The Bulls ripped off an 11-0 run, capped by a driving layup from Butler, to take the lead. Chicago then ripped off five baskets on five consecutive possessions -- culminating in another Butler layup -- to extend its lead to 59-50 with 5:05 left in the third quarter.
Utah could not do much on offense to counteract the run. The Jazz missed six straight shots to open the half before Hood finally broke the ice with a layup nearly four minutes into the quarter.
Once in a hole, Utah struggled to make up ground. The Jazz shot just 28.6 percent in the third quarter and it carried over early into the fourth. Chicago cashed in on the shooting woes and scored nine unanswered points to open the fourth quarter.
NOTES: Utah F Derrick Favors did not play Thursday after an MRI exam Wednesday revealed a left knee bone contusion. Favors also missed the Jazz's season opener because of knee soreness. There is no timetable for his return. He is averaging 10.5 points and 6.7 rebounds this season. ... Bulls G Rajon Rondo missed his second consecutive game due to a sprained left ankle. Rondo is averaging 7.6 points, 6.5 assists and 5.6 rebounds for Chicago this season. He ranks in the top 10 in the NBA in assists. ... Through Wednesday, Chicago led the league with an average of 14.1 offensive rebounds per game. The Bulls ranked third in second-chance points (16.5). ... Utah F Gordon Hayward was second in the NBA in free-throw percentage (.973) ahead of the Thursday games. He made two of three attempts against the Bulls.