The Bulls Monday were better, but not good enough in their second of a back to back and lost in overtime to the Utah Jazz 105-96.
The Bulls fell to 26-21. The Bulls play Wednesday in Sacramento. They are 1-2 on this road trip. The Jazz are 22-25.
The Bulls were led by Jimmy Butler, who had 12 fourth quarter points and 26 for the game, but seemingly wore out in the overtime after playing 47 minutes after the Sunday loss in Los Angeles. Butler missed three of four free throws in overtime as the Bulls were outscored 12-3.
Pau Gasol fouled out in overtime with 19 points and eight rebounds. Derrick Rose had 14 points, including a three pointer with 18.5 seconds left in regulation for a 93-90 Bulls lead that initially looked like a winner. But the Bulls couldn’t control an offensive rebound and committed a turnover and never got another regulation shot off as the Jazz tied the game that had 15 ties and 14 lead changes. The Bulls then committed three turnovers in their first four overtime possessions and the Jazz pulled away.
No one else scored in double figures for the Bulls. Hayward led six Jazz players in double figures with 19 points.
The Bulls stayed with the same starting group with E’Twaun Moore at small forward, and this time got some of that elusive pace to start the game, though more effect from Gasol. Gasol took advantage of Jazz shot blocker Rudy Gobert, a rival from European tournaments, by staying outside for jump shots and then when Gobert came out driving by for a two handed slam dunk and 10 first quarter points. But the teams were tied at 26 as the Jazz pushed the ball, beating the Bulls downcourt for a big edge in points in the paint with layups.
The second quarter was one of runs with the Bulls opening with five straight, the Jazz with 14 straight as the Bulls missed seven of eight shots with a pair of turnovers. But coach Fred Hoiberg went back to Gasol, who helped settle things down with the starters, who then hit the reeling Jazz with an 18-2 spurt as Rose had a pair of scores and Doug McDermott added a three. That gave the Bulls their biggest first half lead at 49-42. But the Jazz went back inside after settling for jump shots and pulled within 51-47 at halftime. Gasol had 13 points and double the plus/minus rating of any other Bulls for his first half playing time. The Bulls went ahead 58-53 on some tough work on the backboards from Taj Gibson, but the Bulls without much ball movement went cold again with seven straight misses that enabled the Jazz to just get back close. The Jazz missed five straight of their own with both teams finding tough jump shots.
Utah did peek ahead 67-66, their first lead since midway through the second quarter before the Bulls eased into the fourth quarter with a 68-67 lead. The Bulls went into isolation offense again, missing five of six mostly jump shots after a Bobby Portis postup score to start the quarter. That enabled the Jazz to sashay out to a 79-76 Utah lead on a Gobert lob slam dunk with 6:24 left. The teams came down the stretch exchanging big shots with Butler scoring 10 straight for the Bulls and Gordon Hayward for the Jazz with the teams tied at 86 with three minutes remaining.
It was a thrilling finish to regulation with a Rose three on a pass from Butler giving the Bulls a 93-90 lead with 18.5 seconds left after Gobert missed two free throws. But then the Bulls failed to grab a second missed Hayward free throw and Hayward tied it on a drive with 4.8 seconds left. The Bulls then lost the ball on an inbounds pass and Hayward missed at the regulation buzzer.