The Utah Jazz suffered a tough loss to a surging Chicago Bulls on Saturday night. Many observers have questioned the sustainability of the Bulls’ hot start to the 2021-22 season, pointing to ease of schedule as an explanation for their success. They provided answers in a gutsy win against the previously undefeated Jazz.
Utah could not get their offense to flow in this contest, as Chicago held them under 100 points in a 107-99 victory. Adding salt to the Jazz’s wound was the absence of Bulls’ defensive stalwart Patrick Williams, who is expected to miss the remainder of the season for wrist surgery. Apparently, the Bulls didn’t need him to take the wind out of the sails of the Utah Jazz.
Fans of the Jazzmen should not overreact to a single regular season loss to an apparently legitimate Chicago Bulls team. On the other hand, that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t reflect on this game to find where their beloved Jazz went wrong. This was a winnable game for the Jazz from the tip, that will nonetheless result in the first loss on the team’s record.
It is worth noting that Mike Conley was resting. The Jazz’s drink looked decidedly unstirred as a result. In total, the team turned the ball over 20 times against a surprisingly active Chicago Bulls defense, and shot a wildly inefficient 5/21 from the three-point line.
We’ve seen how the Jazz can flounder in Conley’s absence, and last night was no exception. Here are 2 duds and 1 stud from Saturday evening’s floundering.