LDN - Sports

Balanced Bulls beat Jazz for fourth straight win

[December 14, 2017] CHICAGO -- From the instant Nikola Mirotic rejoined the Chicago Bulls lineup last week, he knew he had to add a spark of positive energy.

With the Bulls mired in a 10-game losing streak, Mirotic returned to the court and vowed to make a difference. He hasn't stopped since.

Mirotic scored 29 points and grabbed nine rebounds and Robin Lopez scored 16 as the Bulls won their fourth straight game with a 103-100 victory over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday.

The Bulls had all five starters reach double figures. Denzel Valentine and Kris Dunn each scored 13 for Chicago (7-20), which also got 12 points from Justin Holiday.

But it was Mirotic who made the biggest difference, especially early.

"Right now, Niko has brought a confidence to this team," Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. "Whether he has come off the bench or whether he has started, he's gotten off to great starts.

Chicago has not lost since Mirotic returned last week after missing the first 23 games of the season with a concussion and facial fractures he incurred in a fight with teammate Bobby Portis in practice in October. On Wednesday, Mirotic made his second straight start as rookie Lauri Markkanen continues to be plagued by back spasms.

The Bulls held on despite struggling from the free-throw line, especially late when Chicago had the chance to put the game away. But Dunn, who struggled from the field in hitting only 6-of-18 shot attempts, hit a pair of late jumpers to help preserve the victory.

"I believe in my game," Dunn said. "The coaching staff believes in me, my teammates do. There's going to be times when there are bad games. I understand that, but I'm going to keep fighting."

The Jazz (13-15) got to within 102-100 with 4.5 seconds remaining. Holiday split a pair of free throws with 3.6 seconds remaining to put the Bulls up three before Mitchell missed a 3-point attempt at the buzzer.

With that, the Bulls extended their winning streak, which is the longest active in the Eastern Conference.

"We have to keep building from this," Mirotic said. "We (have) some tough games now, but we have more chances (to win) now."

Donovan Mitchell scored a game-high 32 points to pace the Jazz, who also got 15 points from Rodney Hood, 14 from Ricky Rubio and 13 from Alec Burks.

Utah erased a 12-point second-quarter deficit and remained close until the end. The Jazz, who beat the Bulls by 30 points earlier this season at home, could not take chances of Chicago's inconsistency at the free throw line and couldn't hit the shots they needed to in the end.

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Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic (44) reacts after making a three point shot against the Utah Jazz during the second half at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

"We're not a good enough team to be able to overcome some of those moments when we have a lack of urgency," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. "There's too many of those moments."

With Mirotic leading the way both offensively and defensively, the Bulls continued to play with a resurgence of confidence that has been evident in their four straight victories. Hoiberg has seen his team feed off of Mirotic and translate it into a winning brand of basketball that had been almost non-existent before Mirotic returned.

Now, it's just a matter of keeping it going.

"Even when we went on the losing streak, our guys never stopped believing, they never lost their confidence," Hoiberg said. "Those guys kept coming in on a daily basis and getting after it and wanting to get better. That's the sign of a good group. They're continuing to grow and they're doing it together."

NOTES: Jazz G Rodney Hood returned to the lineup Wednesday after missing the last seven games due to ankle and Achilles tendon soreness. Hood was under a minutes-played restriction, but told reporters Wednesday morning that he's ready to return. "It's about time to be out there," Hood said. ... F Joe Johnson missed his 21st straight game with wrist tendon instability, but went through Wednesday's shootaround and felt comfortable in 1-on-1 drills, but remains out. Coach Quin Snyder said Johnson still can't take contact in practice, but is close to returning. ... F Jonas Jerebko was available on Wednesday after experiencing illness Tuesday. ... Bulls F Lauri Markkanen missed his second game with back spasms. Markkanen tested his back in pregame warmups and was scheduled to start, but was a late scratch when the back spasms flared up.

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