Rose leads Bulls past Jazz, 91-86
SALT LAKE CITY — One sign that helped summarize the mood in Utah on Wednesday read, “I drove 320 miles to boo Boozer.”
Yes, Bulls forward Carlos Boozer was as popular in Salt Lake City as a Dennis Rodman bridal show. He was booed during introductions, then every time he touched the ball.
But what the Jazz really needed was for someone to hold up a sign that read, “Look out behind you!”
Derrick Rose not only carried the Bulls with 29 points, but he also made the defensive play of the game. With the visitors clinging to a 1-point lead and about a minute left, Rose chased down Utah guard Deron Williams on a fastbreak and took the ball away.
That was one of 3 late steals by the Bulls in a pressure-packed 91-86 victory over the Jazz at Energy Solutions Arena.
“I was hoping that he'd take one more dribble,” Rose said in the locker room. “The crowd really threw him off. He thought they were cheering, but thank God I had that time (to make the steal) when he still had it in his right hand.”
Rose ended up dominating the point-guard matchup. He finished with 29 points and 7 assists, compared to 11 points and 12 assists for Williams.
“I thought Derrick did a good job of trying to make him work,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said.
The heat was on Boozer, and he might have been tight in the first half, when he hit just 3 of 9 shots for 6 points. Boozer eventually knocked down 6 of 16 attempts and finished with 14 points, fewer than his two Utah replacements, Al Jefferson (26) and Paul Millsap (20).
“There was no rhythm there,” Boozer said. “They weren't calling many fouls, so there weren't a lot of free throws. It ended up looking like tough shots, but other games they call fouls and you're shooting free throws.
“So you have to keep grinding it out. You're not going to have a great game every night. But it's a team and our whole team played good enough to win.”
Regarding the constant jeers, Boozer claimed he faced a tougher environment the first time he returned to Cleveland after leaving as a free agent in 2004.
“Cleveland was a little worse,” he said. “It was a great atmosphere (Wednesday). The fans cheered, they booed, they cheered.”
After Rose's steal, Luol Deng had a shot blocked, so Utah had one more chance trailing by 1. After being on the receiving end of so many pick-and-roll passes from Williams, Boozer knew what was coming.
He swiped a pass intended for Jefferson near the foul line, which led to a pair of Rose free throws with 13 seconds left.
That was enough time for one more defensive gem by the Bulls (35-16). Ronnie Brewer, another ex-Jazz player, stole a crosscourt pass from Williams and hit 2 foul shots that iced the game.
“It was a tough loss,” Williams said. “Put it on me because at the end of the game, I had the ball in my hands. I've got to make the plays to win the game. Two turnovers, not characteristic for me.”
The Bulls' third former Utah player, Kyle Korver, scored just 5 points but knocked down a clutch 3-pointer with 2:18 left to give the visitors an 87-83 advantage. The Bulls' reserves outscored the Utah bench 25-5.
The Jazz (31-23) pulled within 1 point five times in the final six minutes and never did take the lead down the stretch.