The Utah Jazz entered the night with 10 losses by five points or fewer this season—second most in the NBA—and for a while it looked like they were on their way to number 11.
And then the unlikely pair of Gordon Hayward and Raul Neto took over.
Hayward filled the stat sheet with 27 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists and a steal, while Neto scored a career-high 14 points as the Jazz came away with a 105-96 overtime win over the Chicago Bulls Monday night in Salt Lake City.
The win was Utah’s third straight, marking the first time the Jazz (22-25) have won three straight this season. They had won two straight games eight times.
Hayward scored 19 of his points in the second half and overtime—including a driving layup with three Bulls defenders surrounding him to tie the game with 4.8 seconds left in regulation.
Neto scored a career-high 14 points and added consistent pesky defense that threw former league MVP Derrick Rose off his game.
Rodney Hood added 19 points before fouling out early in overtime. Rudy Gobert (16 points, 12 rebounds), Derrick Favors (13 points, eight rebounds, four blocks) and Trey Burke (10 points, two 3-pointers) also scored in double figures for the Jazz.
Jimmy Butler led Chicago with 26 points, while Pau Gasol—who also fouled out in overtime—finished with 19 points. Rose added 14 points (on 6-for-21 shooting) for Chicago (26-21) in the loss.
Monday’s Best
Neto’s contributions bookended Utah’s win. The rookie point guard got going early, knifing into the lane and contorting his body around defenders for three straight circus layups—and then he drilled a 3-pointer after faking a pass to the wing. He had nine points (on 4-for-4 shooting) in the game’s first 18 minutes … and then nothing until midway through the fourth quarter.
But then with 7:47 left in regulation, he put in another twisting layup to tie the game at 74-74. After a Chicago basket, Neto drilled another three to give Utah a one-point lead.
In overtime, Neto forced two turnovers with his quick hands—both from Rose above the 3-point line—and, with Utah protecting a five-point lead late in overtime, he calmly dribbled the shot clock down—making two rounds underneath the basket to draw the defense away before a quick pass to Joe Ingles led to a quicker pass to Hayward for a driving dunk to give Utah a 102-95 lead with 59.9 seconds left.
Key Stretch
The Bulls went on a quick 5-0 run to take a three-point lead and grab the momentum late in the fourth quarter, but—after a missed layup by Gobert—Hayward snagged the offensive rebound and kicked it out to Hood for a huge 3-pointer to tie the game at 84-84. Gasol hit a jumper, and Hayward responded with a tough runner in the lane to tie it back up. From that point on, Utah lived—and nearly died—at the free-throw line. Gobert and Hood combined to make four straight, but Gobert proceeded to squander an opportunity to take control of the game, missing two free throws with 29.4 seconds left and the game tied.
On Chicago’s next possession, Rose drilled a wide-open three to give Chicago a 93-90 lead with 18 seconds left. After a timeout, Hayward drove into the lane and got fouled. He made the first and missed the second—but Chris Johnson hustled to grab the offensive rebound. After another timeout, Hayward drove in for the layup that forced overtime—where the Jazz dominated.
Significant Stat
The Jazz didn’t shoot particularly well from the free-throw line, but they did get there often. Utah went 22-for-33 from the line, while Chicago shot 13-for-20. Utah’s aggressiveness in getting to the hoop paid off in a close, physical game.
Coach’s Quote of the Night
Notable
Butler, who entered the game shooting 83.4 percent from the free-throw line, went 1-for-4 from the line in overtime. … The Jazz shot 7-for-18 (38.9 percent) from 3-point range. … Utah is now 3-1 during its current six-game homestand. … Gobert failed to record a blocked shot for the first time since January 7, when he played only 15 minutes in his first game back from his knee injury. … Chicago’s Nikola Mirotic (appendicitis) missed his third straight game.
Up Next
The Jazz will continue their homestand on Wednesday night against the Denver Nuggets. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. MT and the game will be televised on ROOT SPORTS.