Utah Jazz at Chicago Bulls, 3/9/10

Williams, Jazz prove to be too much as Bulls lose 5th in row

By Kent McDill, for NBA.com

CHICAGO (NBA.com exclusive) -- The Chicago Bulls really tried to stay with the visiting Utah Jazz.

But after a rollicking first half of trading basket after basket, the Bulls could not maintain the offensive pace and eventually succumbed again to a more successful team that is on a very impressive run through the league.

Deron Williams scored 28 points and had 17 assists, and C.J. Miles went 9-for-12 from the field (6-for-7 from 3-point range) to lead the Jazz to a 132-108 victory that was not as easy as the final score would indicate. The Jazz shot 54.2 percent for the game (45 for 83) while the Bulls shot 53.9 percent (41 for 76).

Bulls guard Derrick Rose had 25 points and tied his career high with 13 assists but the Bulls lost their fifth straight game dating back to the last game played by center Joakim Noah, who has been sidelined by plantar fasciitis.

The last four losses have all been at home against teams with winning records. The Bulls (31-32) are headed for a four-game road trip to Orlando, Miami, Memphis and Dallas beginning Thursday.

The Jazz (41-22) were looking to avoid an upset loss in the first of four road consecutive games in order to maintain their position right behind Denver in the NBA's Northwest Division. The Jazz have won 18 of their last 22 games and 22 of their last 27.

For the fans, the game turned into an offensive showcase for dueling point guards Williams and Rose. Williams was playing before an audience that still appreciates him for his efforts with the University of Illinois a few years ago.

"I like to see guys compete out there,'' Utah coach Jerry Sloan said. "Tonight those guys competed hard the whole game. "

"He's a great player,'' Rose said of Williams. "He is always someone I looked up to. He really puts pressure on your team and that's what he did against us."

The game turned in the middle of the third quarter but not before the Bulls put on an impressive, if momentary, display of defense.

The Bulls made four steals in a two-minute stretch, capped by a theft that led to a fast break layup by Kirk Hinrich to tie the game at 77 with 5:23 left. But the Jazz scored 11 of the next 12 points in the game as the Bulls missed four straight shots and committed a pair of turnovers.

When Miles hit a 3-pointer with 1:35 left, the Jazz had a 90-78 lead and the Bulls were out of steam, physically and emotionally.

In the fourth quarter, while Miles was hitting long-range shots and the Bulls were still making foolish mistakes with the basketball, Bulls forward Luol Deng left the game with a right leg strain. The Bulls also got zero points and one rebound from starting forward Taj Gibson, who fouled out after playing just 12:34 of the game.

"We played well enough offensively,' Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said. "But we cannot control the paint right now, and we are not controlling the ball well enough."

"I thought we were more focused in the second half,'' Williams said. "We were soft in the second half but not as soft [as in the first]. Our defense isn't where it needs to be."

The Jazz had seven players in double figures, including Paul Millsap scoring 16 points and grabbing nine rebounds (six offensive) off the bench. Carlos Boozer had a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

Bulls center Brad Miller had 20 points for the Bulls.

The Jazz, the league's best shooting team, made their first five shots of the game and ran out to a 12-4 lead. But the Bulls finally forced a couple of misses and hit three shots in a row to move back to within a point, and the rest of the first quarter was close.

The Jazz shot 61 percent (14 for 23) in the first quarter, but the Bulls were better, shooting 67 percent (12 for 18), and that included three 3-pointers. The Bulls rank last in the league in 3-pointers made per game, averaging just under four 3-pointers a game.

The sharp shooting continued for the Bulls through the second quarter. At halftime the Bulls were still shooting over 60 percent (25 for 40, 62.5 percent) even though they were losing 63-61 because the Jazz kept rebounding their own misses. The Jazz had six offensive rebounds they turned into five points, while the Bulls did not have a single offensive board by halftime.

The Bulls did match the Jazz in 3-pointers in the first half, with each team hitting six. Miller was three for three from way outside and had 15 points for the Bulls at the break.

"Miller was out there with nobody within five feet of him shooting 3s,'' Sloan said. "We did yell at him, though."

Williams and Rose had a nice statistical matchup going through the first half. Williams had a double-double at the break with 16 points and 10 assists while Rose had 10 points and 11 assists at halftime.

"The first half was like a pickup game,'' Sloan said. "We couldn't stop them and they couldn't stop us. We played a better second half defensively."

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