Once again the defense rests as Bulls lose to Jazz

Bulls legend Jerry Sloan is fondly remembered here for his gritty, defensive style of play. But he also played in an era when it wasn't unusual for NBA teams to score 130 points.

So call this Turn Back the Clock night at the United Center.

Sloan's Utah Jazz ran its offense to perfection and ran the Bulls' losing streak to five games with a resounding 132-108 victory Tuesday.

In consecutive home games, the Bulls (31-32) have allowed an astounding 254 points in losses to Utah and Dallas. In the process, they also dropped to ninth place in the Eastern Conference standings and out of playoff position.

"There's still a lot of basketball to be played," coach Vinny Del Negro said. "Hopefully we can play much better as we get our guys healthy. Right now, we've got to try to weather the storm a little bit, stay confident and stay together."

The Bulls have given up 100 points in eight straight games, something that hasn't happened in 20 years. In a higher-scoring era, the Bulls surrendered 100 points in nine straight contests from Jan. 21 to Feb. 8, 1990.

The Bulls' defense, which led the league in opponents' field-goal percentage a few weeks ago, is clearly broken with center Joakim Noah sidelined by a sore foot.

Here's a good indication of how badly the Bulls struggled with their interior defense: Taj Gibson fouled out in 13 minutes, Chris Richard picked up 5 fouls in 14 minutes and Brad Miller also finished his night with 5 fouls.

"We're not going to win games unless we play better 'D,' " said Luol Deng. "We've just got to step it up. Jo definitely makes us better, but you play with who you have in the locker room."

Deng recovered from an illness that kept him home from Monday's practice. But after scoring 14 points, he left the game early in the fourth quarter with a right calf strain. He'll have an MRI exam today.

Gibson, meanwhile, was hampered by a lingering case of plantar fasciitis in his left foot.

"It gets tougher and tougher to push through it as the season wears on," Gibson said in the locker room.

This game was decided late in the third quarter. After the Bulls tied the score at 77-77, Utah unleashed a 13-1 run that included 8 fastbreak points.

The Bulls got within 6 in the fourth quarter but couldn't match the ridiculous 3-point shooting of the Jazz. Backup guard C.J. Miles (26 points) drained 4 of 5 shots from long range in the fourth quarter.

Former Illinois point guard Deron Williams was brilliant for Utah, finishing with 28 points and 17 rebounds, while hitting 11 of 15 shots.

Derrick Rose was also pretty good, with 25 points and 13 assists, which matched a career high.

"He's somebody I look up to as a bigger guard, always attacking, running the team, finding people," Rose said.

Williams was never quite himself last season after suffering a high ankle sprain in a 2008 preseason game at the United Center. Williams went up to shoot a 3-pointer and landed on Rose's foot.

The Bulls shot 62.5 percent from the field in the first half but trailed 63-61 in a fast-paced game.

"The first half was like a pickup game," said Sloan, who was greeted by former Bulls teammates Tom Boerwinkle and Mickey Johnson after the contest. "I felt comfortable every time we executed our plays."

<p class="factboxheadblack">Mike McGraw's game tracker</p>

<p class="News">Jazz 132, Bulls 108</p>

<p class="News"><b>No 'D' in defeat:</b> Needless to say, the Bulls aren't likely to win many games when giving up 132 points. The defense has completely fallen apart with center Joakim Noah sidelined by a sore foot. Now the Bulls go on the road to face Orlando, Miami, Memphis and Dallas.</p>

<p class="News"><b>Illini gets well:</b> Former Illinois point guard Deron Williams is healthy this season and punished the Bulls with 28 points and 17 assists Tuesday, while hitting 11 of 15 shots. Bulls counterpart Derrick Rose wasn't bad, with 25 points and 13 assists, but has some ground to cover.</p>

<p class="News"><b>Injury to insult:</b> Luol Deng left the game in the third quarter with a right calf strain and will have an MRI today. Rookie Taj Gibson struggled with his plantar fasciitis and fouled out in just 13 minutes of action.</p>

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