Utah Jazz and Chicago Bulls point guards Deron Williams and Derrick Rose are often compared given their similar size and ability to create shots in the lane. Both players are strong, quick and have strong scoring abilities. Tonight, they'll face off in Salt Lake City, Utah. Last year, Rose took matters into his own hands late in the fourth quarter, making shot after shot, only to see his final attempt fall flat and into the hands of Larry Hughes who saved the game with the buzzer-beater to the dismay of the Utah crowd.
Chicago, who have lost their last three by a combined 58 points, struggled against tough interior opponents like Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol, Nene, Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla. Tonight, the Bulls will go up against Carlos Boozer, Paul Millsap and Mehmet Okur. Boozer, who surprisingly opted in for the last year on his contract, is a strong rebounder who, along with Millsap, have the Jazz out-rebounding their opponents on a nightly basis.
Bulls center Joakim Noah has had two eight-rebound performances and has been visibly exhausted. After sprinting through the first 11 games of the season, Noah has the felt the pressure of minutes and will look to bounce back tonight with two days of rest. Forwards Luol Deng and Taj Gibson have also been taking a few hits as of late, as the Bulls front-court have struggled in keeping players off the low post.
John Salmons (13.9 points a game) will be needed to step into a scoring role against the Jazz, as he can penetrate from the perimeter as well as shoot the long ball. The Bulls have in general struggled offensively, and tonight a strong offensive game is needed if they have any desire to get out of Utah victorious.
Chicago center Brad Miller has not been able to locate his shots over the last two games. Miller has shot 0-5 from those games and collected a grand total of four points in 38 minutes. Miller matches up well against Okur, who has a tendency to be slow-footed.
The Bulls' wings are ready to take on the task of guarding Ronnie Brewer and Andrei Kirilenko. But it will be no small task. Kirilenko has been virtually everywhere this season, averaging a well-rounded 14.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.2 blocks per game.
As the numbers suggest, Utah loves to run the ball. They average 24.0 assists compared to just 20.4 from their opponents. The Bulls will not only have to limit Utah's passing, but also try to step up their own passing game in the process.
Filed under: Game Threads
Tags: carlos boozer, chicago bulls, derrick rose, Joakim Noah, john salmons, Luol Deng, Taj Gibson, Utah Jazz
Off topic: There's news on Yahoo Sports that Joe Johnson's sources believe that he's likely to join Bulls next summer; if not, Miami and New York is a possible destination for him. What do you think about that? Personally, I like that possibility, hope he doesn't lose a step.
McGraw and KC are both reporting Kirk is questionable with a sprained left thumb for tonight.
Oh so you hate late starts, do you? ;)
Heh, game is on at 4:30 AM for me.
ahhh i love this late start because of no work tomorrow. I am going to sit with some nice cheese cake that is left over from our party and have a chunk while I enjoy us win one infront of Donny Osmonds home town folks.
apparently Kirk is out
normally that wouldnt be bad news - but it'll mean giving minutes to Pargo who has not been doing well
the Grizzly is back...Aaron Gray
This is getting embarrassing, as Marv Albert just said. I'd like to see Vinny make the Bulls play one game where they aren't allowed to shoot from outside of 16 feet. At least they'd be forced to go to the basket.
Also, the Bulls should take notes when the Jazz set screens. Not many do it well, but the Jazz have perfected it.
Well this is a complete waste of my time. I'm not putting effort into caring about this team anymore. We got lucky with MJ and thats that. It took me a long time to realize that it goes beyond the players and coaches. I get it now. Good bye Chicago Bulls I'm cutting the cord.