Jazz fend off Bulls for fourth straight win

[January 03, 2020]  The Utah Jazz won their fourth-straight game with a hard-fought 102-98 victory over the host Chicago Bulls on Thursday night.

Five players -- Bojan Bogdanovic, Jordan Clarkson, Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell and Georges Niang -- scored in double figures for the Jazz. Zach LaVine had a game-high 26 points on 9-for-26 shooting for the Bulls.

LaVine hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 96 with under two minutes to go. Two free throws from Bogdanovic, who scored 10 points in the final frame, and then a dunk from Gobert on the next two possessions regained the Jazz advantage.

After Wendell Carter Jr. hit two free throws of his own, LaVine missed a contested layup with about 28 seconds remaining that could have tied the game. Mitchell pushed the lead to four points on the other end of the court, and the Bulls were unable to score again.

Utah lead 25-22 at the end of the first quarter despite shooting 39.1 percent in the quarter and continued to hold the lead for most of the second quarter.

However, the Bulls entered the half on a seven-point run to take a 51-47 lead into the break, and continued the torrid stretch after the intermission to take an 11-point advantage.

That would be the largest lead Chicago would earn all game, and the game flipped on its head over the next eight minutes. The Jazz went on a 24-4 run as seven different players scored during the outburst.

Jazz forward Joe Ingles (2) drives to the basket against Chicago Bulls center Wendell Carter Jr. (34) during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

The Bulls scored a few baskets at the end of the quarter to make the deficit single digits heading into the fourth quarter. In total, the Jazz shot 73.3 percent for the quarter but also committed 10 turnovers in the period.

Bogdanovic led the Jazz with 19 points on 5 of 13 shooting, while Gobert finished with a double-double at 17 points and 12 rebounds. Joe Ingles also had eight points and 10 assists for Utah.

Carter Jr. finished with a double-double for the Bulls, scoring 18 points and grabbing 13 rebounds.

--Field Level Media

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