Key No. 3 – Hold Nikola Mirotic in check
Ironically, the Bulls’ recent three-game winning streak has coincided with the return of Nikola Mirotic who had missed the entirety of the season prior to this point with a facial fracture that he suffered following a scuffle with teammate Bobby Portis. It was actually quite the scary incident and condition, so it’s good to know that Mirotic is alright and back in action.
And his return has certainly worked wonders for the Bulls as they’re undefeated with him on the court. In his three games back, he’s been red hot as he’s averaging 16.3 points on 54.8 percent shooting from the field and 50 percent from deep. He presents a challenge for Utah’s defense as a stretch-big and he could cause a lot of problems if the Jazz aren’t prepared to contain him.
He put up 24 points in the Bulls’ most recent win over the Boston Celtics and he has seemingly given his team a major spark since his return. Mirotic and the Bulls are rolling and riding high on confidence, so Utah will need to snuff out that flame that he’s brought to the team if they’re to have any hope of ending Chicago’s current winning streak.