The Utah Jazz extended their winning streak to two games with a convincing 13-point victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday. Six players scored in double-figures for the surging Jazz who will next face the struggling Chicago Bulls tonight.
Who will emerge victorious in this East vs. West showdown? Read on below for an in-depth breakdown of this NBA matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our previews of Orlando vs. San Antonio and Cleveland vs. Indiana.
Chicago’s road woes continued on Sunday as the Bulls suffered a humiliating 120-93 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. It was a disappointing performance by the Bulls who have now lost four of their last six games and dropped to 10-11 on the road this season. Things are bound to get tougher for Fred Hoiberg’s men as standing in their way tonight are the red-hot Utah Jazz. The Jazz have won their last two games by an average of 21 points. For the Bulls to stop the Jazz’s winning run, they will need to improve on their floundering defense.
The Bulls struggled mightily on that end of the floor on Sunday, allowing the Clippers to shoot at a high 55.6 percent clip. That’s quite a surprise considering Bulls’ opponents are shooting just 42.7 percent from the field this season, the lowest in the entire league. Apart from their defense, the Bulls will also need their second unit to step up against the Jazz. The Clippers outscored the Bulls in bench scoring, 58-18.
With their reserves struggling for form at the present time, the onus is on Jimmy Butler, Derrick Rose and Pau Gasol to spearhead the Bulls’ offensive attack against the Jazz. They combined for 58 points in the loss to the Clippers. The trio is averaging a combined 54.4 points per game this season.
The total has gone over in nine of the Bulls’ last 10 road games.
The Utah Jazz stretched their unbeaten run to two games with an impressive 103-90 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night. Rodney Hood led the way for the Jazz, scoring 22 points and dishing out four dimes. It was Hood’s fourth 20-point outing in his last five games.
Key to the Jazz’s stunning resurgence has been their incredible offense. The Jazz are averaging 102.5 points over their last two games. That’s way above their season average of 97.7 points. That sizzling offense was in full display Wednesday against the Blazers where they shot a solid 52.6 percent from the field.
Utah’s offense is bound to get even better with the return of Derrick Favors to the starting lineup. He showed glimpses of what he can bring to the Jazz offense in the game against Minnesota, scoring 20 points and grabbing nine rebounds in his first start since returning from a back injury.
With the big man back, the Jazz can once again utilize their vaunted combo of Favors and Rudy Gobert. To illustrate how valuable the dynamic duo is to their cause, the Jazz went just 13-17 since Favors got injured on November 30. Favors’ return is timely since the Jazz will next face the imposing frontline of Chicago. The Bulls scored a whopping 56 points inside the paint in their recent loss to the Clippers.
The Jazz are 7-3 SU and ATS in their last 10 home games.
