Chicago Bulls vs. Utah Jazz - NBA Preview
The red hot Chicago Bulls are all set to take on the Utah Jazz on Saturday night at United Centre. The game is of great importance for the Bulls as a victory here would
tie them for the top spot in the Eastern Conference with the Boston Celtics.
At present, Chicago is standing second in the East with a sizzling record of 46 victories and just 18 losses during the current season. The fact that will really spur them
on coming into the game though, is that have a super record of 28-4 at home, making them the odds on favourite to topple the struggling Jazz. So far, Chicago has been exceptional at United Center, giving up just 89.0 points per contest.
The 22-year-old Bulls guard Derrick Rose is quiet excited about the up-coming contest, that can lead them to the top.
"If us winning games puts us ahead of them, that'll be great, but our thing is trying to keep this thing going," Rose said.
The game will be even more significant for the Bulls as it marks the twentieth anniversary of their first NBA championship in 1991. A ceremony will take place during the
halftime which will be graced by icons like Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.
Chicago, however would be playing their second consecutive game in the absence of power forward Carlos Boozer, who is still day-to-day with a left ankle injury. Boozer was
magnificent in the previous 91-86 win over the Jazz on February 9, contributing 14 points and six rebounds.
The Bulls are brimming with confidence coming into the game. They have won their last ten games at home and topped the Atlanta Hawks 94-76 in the previous game. Chicago
outscored the Hawks 46-26 in the second half of the game. Rose was phenomenal once again, as he added game-high 34 points and grabbed five assists. Centre Kurt Thomas, who replaced Boozer, pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds in the victory.
Utah, on the other hand, would be struggling to come back into the win column after a 122-101 defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves in their last game. The 122 points were
the third highest points allowed by the Jazz during the current season. Prior to this, they allowed the New York Knicks to score 131 points in Monday’s match.
The Jazz are currently passing through a tail spin that has witnessed them losing ten of the last thirteen games. In their last three, they have conceded 111.3 points per
game and have allowed their opponents to shoot 50.4 percent from 3-point range during that time span.
In the last contest between the two teams, Rose erupted with 29 points in the win. He has averaged 24.4 points in his five career games against the Jazz and will be the
man to look out for. Therefore, it would be the utmost priority of the Jazz to handle him.
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