Nov 24, 2014; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Chicago Bulls guard
Derrick Rose(1) defends against Utah Jazz guard
Trey Burke(3) during the second half at EnergySolutions Arena. Chicago won 97-95. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
Since being awarded the NBA’s Most Valuable Player trophy in 2010-11, Derrick Rose has appeared in only 22% of possible Chicago Bulls games. But he’d return from his latest injury in Utah against the Jazz, jumping out of the gate being responsible for 12 of the Bull’s first 14 points, delighting an EnergySoutions Arena crown rife with raucous Chicago fans.
At times it was difficult to discern whether there were more Jazz fans or Bulls fans in attendance Monday night in Salt Lake City. Either way, basketball fans in general were treated to quite a fascinating and eventful game that once again came down to the last possession for Utah. This time, Gordon Hayward would come up just short at the buzzer, the Jazz falling 97-95.
Our Fansided sister site, Pippen Ain’t Easy, has a recap from the Bulls perspective here.
Here’s a few observations from the game I attended thanks to my daughter’s stellar school work (her school gave her two tickets for doing well, making me a very proud and lucky papa).
• This was my first time seeing Derrick Rose play live. Despite obvious rust it was pretty clear his game is still on a whole other level compared to the Jazz’s point guards. When he explodes to the paint it’s dynamic. When he pulls up from three it’s in an instant, without hesitation. Half of Rose’s 18 points would come on 3-5 shooting from beyond the arc
• Trey Burke continues to battle. After slumping, then breaking out of it in a big way, Burke would post his second double-double of the season with 18 points and 10 assists. Over the last five games the sophomore point guard for Utah is averaging 14 points and 7 assists per game while hitting .375 from three. Burke was largely responsible for bringing the Jazz back into a position for a shot to win at the end
We’re waiting to see how the game’s gonna turn out instead of trying to impose our will. It makes you a little tentative, actually. -Quin Snyder
• The Bulls’ bigs are tremendous.
I was only half surprised upon arriving home and pulling up a box score to see Pau Gasol‘s stat line of 23 points, nine rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks, all while picking up only two fouls. He’s just that smooth, so smooth you don’t even notice what he’s doing much of the time
With Taj Gibson out, Nikola Mirotic is quite a capable big off the bench. He had a fantastic game in Portland, last, following it up in Utah with ten points and five rebounds.
Joakim Noah is just plain fun to watch. While he only had four points, he also had four assists — not a surprise for fans of Noah. Like Gasol, he’s an excellent passer in the paint. In all, Bulls bigs had nine assists
• Speaking of big men and passing, Enes Kanter may have posted his best all-around game yet as an NBA pro, including being the recipient of one of Burke’s dimes, taking the pass to split Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah for a whirling finish above the rim in traffic:
Kanter played both ends better than usual, meaning he hasn’t looked as lost on defense since, as David Locke recently noted to 1280/97.5 The Zone, the light went on in a practice.
After not playing much lately the whirling Turk finished with 19 points on 13 shots, eight rebounds, a steal, a block, and maybe most importantly, three assists.Passing has been problematic for Enes, so that’s a great sign of growth in a season he chose to become a restricted free agent at the end of.
Unfortunately, Kanter also fumbled a later, critical pass from Burke that would have put the Jazz up with less than 30 seconds left
• Joe Ingles has become a regular part of Quin Snyder’s rotation and an integral piece of what Snyder wants to accomplish on the floor. Ingles mixed it up with Jimmy Butler, the Bulls’ leading scorer, fearlessly
• Jimmy Butler is a better version of Nick Young, and really, really fun to watch. If he continues at his current pace he may well be the frontrunner for the NBA’s Most Improved Player in 2014-15
• Quin Snyder said it best in postgame
"“We need to start better. I don’t think we’re nervous as much as… we’re waiting to see how the game’s gonna turn out instead of trying to impose our will. It makes you a little tentative, actually.”"
Starting poorly isn’t a new problem for the Utah Jazz, as fans can tell you.
You can listen to the rest of Snyder’s postgame presser here, courtesy 1280/97.5 The Zone.