Bulls survive dry spell to win at Utah
To use a Utah analogy, the Chicago Bulls were dry as the Bonneville Salt Flats during the second quarter of Thursday night's game against the Jazz.
The Bulls went through a stretch where they missed 22 of 23 shots but finished the first half down just 43-41 after Jimmy Butler hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer, then looked toward the ceiling and yelled, "Thank God!"
The Bulls came alive in the third quarter, though, and made it 2-for-2 on the circus road trip with a 85-77 victory over Utah at Vivint Smart Home Arena. They haven't won the first two games of the circus trip since 1996. They've won four straight games overall.
The Bulls (8-4) opened the third quarter with an 8-0 run to take control and pulled out to a 75-58 advantage early in the fourth. The Jazz came back strong, pulling within 80-75 when Dante Exum hit a long 3-pointer with 2:33 as the shot clock expired.
Dwyane Wade answered with a jumper, then Butler drained a 17-footer with 1:11 left to put the Bulls up 84-77.
Butler led the Bulls with 20 points, but that didn't tell the whole story. He also grabbed 11 rebounds and helped force Jazz top scorer Gordon Hayward into a 3-for-15 shooting night.
Wade added 18 points, while center Robin Lopez finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Center Rudy Gobert led Utah (7-6) with 16 points.
Jerian Grant started in place of Rajon Rondo (sprained left ankle) for the second straight game. Grant didn't shoot well (2 of 10) and scored 6 points. The Bulls think Rondo could be back Saturday.
Doug McDermott missed his second straight game because of a concussion, and coach Fred Hoiberg told reporters Thursday he does not expect McDermott back for the Los Angeles portion of the road trip. It's possible McDermott won't play in any games on this trip.
The Bulls should be cautious with McDermott after his second concussion in less than three weeks. The third-year forward missed the Nov. 2 game at Boston with a concussion. Then last Saturday, McDermott took a hard fall and hit his head on the floor after a flagrant foul by Washington's Markieff Morris.
"Texted with him (Wednesday)," Hoiberg said at the morning shootaround, according to espn.com. "He was starting to feel a little bit better, but still not symptom-free."
The Bulls will play the Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers on consecutive days this weekend, then visit Denver on Tuesday. After a quick stop at home for Thanksgiving, the circus trip wraps up in Philadelphia.
Utah also played short-handed Thursday. The Jazz was missing forward Derrick Favors with a bone bruise in his knee, while guard George Hill missed his sixth straight game with a sprained thumb.
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