Bulls look to hold onto lead as they face woeful Jazz

November 3 – Late defensive mistakes doomed the Chicago Bulls to Friday’s loss to Brooklyn.

The Bulls will try not to let that become a trend on Monday when they return home to face the slumping Utah Jazz.

Chicago turned a 10-point deficit early in the third quarter into a slim lead after a 31-20 run. But the Nets’ Cam Thomas helped the hosts pull away, scoring eight straight points in one fourth quarter for a 120-112 victory.

“We’ve done a good job most of the season and made it difficult for the guys,” Bulls guard Josh Giddey said. “I don’t think a lot of guys come out of the game saying they don’t have to work for their buckets. I think with the defense we have, this can’t be a one-man show; be a team effort.

“I think for the most part it has been good, but there is still room for growth in this area.”

Chicago is competitive with a fast offense and plenty of options behind the arc.

Nikola Vucevic finished 10-for-11 from the field Friday with 28 points and 11 rebounds. He has five double-doubles in six games and is shooting 55.2 percent this season, notably higher than his career average of 49.5 percent.

Vucevic scored 3 of 4 from long range. Zach LaVine and Coby White connected on five 3s en route to scoring 21 points each.

Utah’s early-season slump reached unprecedented depths after Saturday’s 129-103 loss to the Denver Nuggets to open a four-game road trip.

Winning their first six games, the Jazz lost their final five by 110 points to set a franchise record. In the 1979–80 season, the Jazz held their previous mark by losing five straight for a total of 107 points.

Buoyed by Walker Kessler (18 points) and Johnny Juzan (17), Utah treaded water for a while, trailing Denver by just nine points at halftime.

However, Denver’s blazing 16-of-32 effort from beyond the arc and Utah’s 22 turnovers ultimately proved too much for the Jazz.

“We need to do a better job of judging the ball,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “It’s hard to deal with fourteen turnovers of live ball. “I do think there are some positives in our team and we’ll continue to try to build on them.”

One of them is certainly Kessler, who added 14 rebounds to secure his third double-double of the season. In his third season, the 7-footer is posting career bests in points (9.7) and rebounds (11.2).

“I think Walker had some good moments,” Hardy said. “Walker showed early this season what an impact he can have. The work he has done on his body shows.”

Utah is getting some youth as Lauri Markkanen (back spasms) and Taylor Hendricks (broken right leg) remain sidelined.

Chicago continues its four-game winning streak Monday, led by LaVine, who has scored at least 20 points in his last 11 games against Utah.

The Bulls are 58-53 all-time against the Jazz, but just 23-32 on the road.

–Media at the field level

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