Bulls mount comeback vs. Jazz after Lauri Markkanen onslaught

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The Chicago Bulls moved to Sep 11 on the season with a 114-107 win over the Utah Jazz Monday night time.

It took weathering an early onslaught from outdated pal Lauri Markkanen, and flipping a 10-point third quarter deficit, however finally, the Bulls bounced again from Saturday’s loss to the Thunder, and moved to 2-1 in a crucial early-season street swing that started with a win on the Milwaukee Bucks.

Listed below are 10 observations:

1. Markkanen bought up for this matchup towards his former group, to say the least. He wasted no time asserting himself by scoring a career-high (for a half) 24 factors within the opening two quarters, taking pictures 9-for-10 from the sector and 5-for-6 from 3-point vary.

Sure, that scoring was constructed on a basis of catch-and-shoot bounce photographs. However he additionally discovered just a few straightforward buckets on the rim on a post-up bruising of Zach LaVine within the first quarter and two well timed cuts within the second, which speaks to the variety of his utilization in Utah:

Markkanen added one other two 3-pointers within the third quarter to eclipse 30 factors. However he was largely invisible down the stretch, scoring simply two factors and committing two turnovers from the ultimate minute of the third quarter on to complete with 32 factors and 9 rebounds.

2. The Bulls have been dominated from past the 3-point arc on this one, one other commentary on this roster’s missing personnel in that division. The Jazz shot 11-for-24 (45.8 p.c) from 3-point vary within the first half, whereas the Bulls tried simply 10 photographs from that distance (making three, which was good for a 24-point disparity). They trailed by seven factors at that juncture.

By recreation’s finish, even because the Bulls gained by seven, the Jazz held a 39-point benefit from past the arc by taking pictures 19-for-49 (38.8 p.c) to the Bulls’ 6-for-21 (28.6 p.c).

3. Nevertheless, the Bulls compensated for the above disparity by dominating the free throw and paint factors departments. The Bulls shot 22-for-25 from the road in comparison with a woeful 6-for-15 by the Jazz, and outscored Utah 64-44 within the lane.

4. The third quarter, which the Bulls gained by a margin of 33-20, was additionally a pivot level after the Jazz jumped out to a 60-53 halftime lead. Within the third, DeMar DeRozan scored 12 factors after taking pictures 1-for-7 within the first half and the Bulls tallied seven factors off 4 Utah turnovers, erasing a deficit that at one level climbed to 10.

5. From Coby White’s left quad, to the left shoulders of Andre Drummond and Goran Dragić, accidents have damaged up the Bulls’ most popular bench mob for a while. However on this one, with all of these gamers accessible, the second unit made a distinction, outscoring the Jazz reserves 39-18. Notable contributions included the next.

6. Dragić, with two early assists, keyed a late first quarter run that turned a seven-point Jazz lead right into a tie recreation getting into the second. The veteran lead guard flashed his patented on-court chemistry with Drummond within the course of:

7. Drummond amassed an environment friendly double-double of 10 factors and 10 rebounds in simply 14 minutes. He had six factors in that first quarter run, and added 4 early within the fourth quarter because the Bulls stretched their lead as excessive as 10. Every of his discipline targets within the latter span featured exhibits of athleticism, from the under steal-and-score on the fastbreak, to an acrobatic putback moments later:

8. White hurled flames off the pine to the tune of 15 factors on 6-for-9 taking pictures, 3-for-5 from 3-point vary. Not solely did he throw down an authoritative slam early within the fourth with Markkanen trailing the play and nail a dagger 3-pointer to present the Bulls a nine-point lead with 69 seconds left in regulation, he additionally outpaced Dragić (14) and place to begin guard Ayo Dosunmu (22) in minutes by logging 23 and shutting each halves.

That may be a signal of Billy Donovan’s rising belief. And Monday marks two instances within the final three video games White has delivered in clutch moments, including to his pair of large 3-pointers down the stretch towards the Bucks.

9. With the win, the Bulls transfer to 2-8 in “clutch” video games this season, outlined as contests that fall inside a five-point margin with 5 minutes or much less to play. DeMar DeRozan, who completed with 26 factors, was key there by scoring 10 factors within the fourth quarter. So, too, was Patrick Williams, who, with the Bulls forward 104-100, picked Kelly Olynyk’s pocket and goaded Collin Sexton into a transparent path foul, which gave him two free throws and the Bulls possession again (two of 12 factors the Bulls scored off 5 Jazz turnovers within the fourth).

The Bulls additionally, after that Williams play, pulled down offensive rebounds and transformed second-chance alternatives on the subsequent two possessions. Each alternatives have been generated by Nikola Vučević. On the primary, he missed a hook shot however, with the assistance of a hustling Alex Caruso, tapped out the offensive rebound to increase the possession, which ended with a DeRozan floater; on the second, he put again a missed stepback jumper by LaVine to make the Bulls’ lead 110-100 on the 2:48 mark.

By the way, the Jazz entered play twenty ninth within the NBA in defensive rebound price and twenty eighth in opponent second-chance factors per recreation. The Bulls grabbed 13 offensive boards and scored 14 second-chance factors on this one.

10. Zach LaVine scored 20 factors, tied Caruso for a team-high in plus-minus (+11), and had just a few spotlight performs, together with a loud dunk on an alley-oop cross from DeRozan within the third quarter. However he nonetheless doesn’t look fairly himself. LaVine went 1-for-6 from 3-point vary, and missed 5 of his six photographs from the sector within the fourth quarter (on a food regimen of principally compelled seems to be) en path to a 7-for-20 taking pictures night time, total.