Defense returns, Bulls beat Jazz
The Bulls certainly haven't made defense their identity this season. Heading into Saturday's date with Utah, Bulls opponents had scored at least 100 points in 21 of the previous 22 games.
With a playoff spot on the line, the Bulls finally stood their ground defensively in a 92-85 victory over the Jazz. It was the smallest number to appear on the scoreboard since Jan. 23, a 96-83 win at Cleveland.
There isn't a specific sound associated with good defense. After the game, though, Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg praised veteran forward Taj Gibson for making some noise in the locker room.
“He jumped the locker room at halftime,” Hoiberg said. “He got on those guys, somebody missed a defensive assignment at the rim. He did a nice job of jumping on those guys. He was ticked.”
Gibson is one of the team's most good-natured players, either in real life or when speaking to reporters. This time, Gibson pretended to play hard ball when pressed on his halftime tongue-lashing.
“None of your all business. None of your all business,” Gibson said with a smile. “Some things don't have to be said in the media. I said what I said at halftime and we responded well. We've just got to move forward.”
Gibson did his part, finishing with 15 points and 10 rebounds, starting alongside rookie Cristiano Felicio for the first time this season. Derrick Rose led the Bulls with 22 points, hitting 10 of 15 shots from the field.
And of course, Gibson didn't follow through on his threat to keep the halftime tirade a secret.
“I love everybody on my team. I'm a team-first guy,” he said. “I don't have an agenda at all. I want to see everybody do well. It shows. They didn't take what I said too seriously because they still gave me a hug afterward. It's good to know when guys put pressure on you or say certain things, it's important that guys take it and respond.”
The Bulls (35-33) are battling for a playoff spot and sorely need to win every game during this four-game homestand. So far, they're 2-0 with Sacramento and New York still to come.
Knowing the Bulls need to improve their sense of urgency, second-year forward Doug McDermott welcomed Gibson's verbal assault.
“He wasn't doing anything too crazy,” McDermott said. “Taj is a guy, every once in a while he'll get on us, snap on us kind of hard and I think we need that from him. I think we need it more, to be honest.
“We all have so much respect for Taj. He's our guy. Everyone loves him. So I think when he gets on us, we respond really well and it just shows a lot about him.”
McDermott's streak of three straight games over 20 points came to an end. He finished with 7 points on 3-of-9 shooting.
The Bulls were locked in at the start, hitting their first 7 shots for a quick 17-6 lead. Utah (33-36) never led, but did make a run late. Chris Johnson missed a 3-pointer in the final minute with the Jazz down by 6 and Jimmy Butler added a free throw for the final margin.
With the win, the Bulls stayed percentage points ahead of Detroit for eighth place in the East and moved within a half-game of seventh-place Indiana.
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