It just wasn't Utah's night.
Following a big third quarter in which the Jazz seized momentum against Chicago, it was the Bulls who caught fire when it mattered most. Utah had no answer for Chicago over the final 12 minutes as they fell 126-118 on Saturday night.
“It’s definitely frustrating to lose a game when there’s a lot of good stuff in it,” head coach Will Hardy said postgame. “Credit to the Bulls, they were 6-of-7 from three in the fourth quarter, which is high-level shooting. I thought we got a lot of good looks on the offensive end, but another tough night from the three-point line.”
At this point in the season, what Lauri Markkanen is doing on a game-by-game basis is no longer shocking. While it's always impressive, the standard has been set for the future All-Star — there's no way he's being left out of the February showcase.
One of the premier shooters in the game, particularly from deep, Markkanen showed off his athleticism and power on Saturday with a career-high eight dunks. He finished with 28 points, four rebounds, three assists, and three steals on 12-of-20 shooting from the floor and 2-for-7 from deep.
With the Bulls defending Markkanen at the three-point line, he did a phenomenal job of moving without the ball. His ability as a cutter and finisher doesn't get enough attention, but it was on full display Thursday.
After Hardy came out and said early last week that Ochai Agbaji would get more playing time, the rookie responded with a career game just two nights ago.
He was even better on Saturday night.
He set new career highs with 19 points in 20 minutes, shooting a perfect 7-of-7 from the field and 4-of-4 from three.
Agbaji's athleticism was also on full display, playing solid defense while jumping into passing lanes. His growth was further displayed as he played the clutch minutes late in the game, showing how much Hardy trusts him.
It wasn't the start the Jazz were hoping for in Markkanen's return to the Windy City, trailing 8-0 early. But Markkanen got things going with a pair of dunks, allowing the Jazz to rally and tie the game at 18 late in the quarter.
Talen Horton-Tucker was big in Utah rallying, scoring six straight points as the Jazz trailed 28-24 after one.
Chicago started the quarter with four quick points and an eight-point lead, leaving the Jazz searching for an answer. They found it from Agbaji, who drilled back-to-back threes just minutes into the second to help Utah stymy the Bulls' momentum.
Trailing by seven midway through, another Agbaji three ignited a 12-1 run as Utah led 43-39 with just under five to go. After their lead grew to six, Chicago ended the half strong with a 13-3.
Utah trailed 53-49 at the half.
After a slow-ish first half by Jazz standards, they picked up the pace in the third with the hopes of tiring out the Bulls, who were on the second game of a back-to-back.
As no surprise, Utah picked up its tempo as Jordan Clarkson got cooking in the quarter and never stopped. He scored 12 points in the quarter, doing all of his work by breaking the defense down and easily getting into the lane.
The Jazz regained the lead following an 11-5 run to start the third, before the teams exchanged buckets for much of the quarter. Down by two with just five to go, Clarkson heated up, and Utah rattled off a 9-1 run.
Utah led 89-84 entering the fourth.
Playing in front of a raucous home crowd, Chicago rallied to start the fourth by taking a two-point lead with an 11-2 run and forced a timeout by Hardy. The Jazz would tie the game on a Jarred Vanderbilt dunk following the timeout, but the Bulls kept attacking with another 11-3 run as Zach LaVine hit threes on three straight possessions with five minutes left.
The Jazz wouldn't go away, trailing by five with 1:30 to play. After a pair of DeMar DeRozan free throws, Markkanen had a chance to cut the deficit to four with over a minute to play, but the ball clanged off the back rim, and with it went Utah's chance at a win.
“I thought we put ourselves in a great position in the fourth quarter with about nine minutes left, but then they hit a bunch of threes,” Hardy said. “There were a lot of good stuff in the game. … I thought a bunch of guys had the right approach. It’s a good learning experience for us, you have to maintain your defensive focus during those moments.”
After the two-point first half, Clarkson finished with 18 points and eighth assists, while Conley chipped in nine points and seven assists. Vanderbilt had a double-double of 15 points, 14 rebounds, and three assists, while Horton-Tucker finished with 12 points and five assists off the bench.
LaVine and DeRozan combined for 47 points in the second half, finishing with 36 and 35, respectively.
Utah has no time to rest as they'll fly to Memphis late Saturday night to face the Grizzlies on Sunday. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. MT.