Utah Jazz (14-13) @ Chicago Bulls (7-18) Key Stats Jazz road record:3-10 Bulls home record:4-9 Last met: Teams have not met this season Last games: Jazz 75 @ Detroit 96, Cavs 85 @ Bulls 87 Standings: Jazz 9th Wsetern Conference (.519), Bulls 13th Eastern Conference (.280) Probable starting lineups Jazz/Bulls PG: Carlos Arroyo/Kirk Hinrich SG: Deshawn Stevenson/Jamal Crawford SF: Matt Harpring/Kendall Gill PF: Andrei Kirilenko/Antonio Davis C: Greg Ostertag/Corie Blount Coach: Jerry Sloan/Scott Skiles Injuries: Jazz: Michael Ruffin, Keon Clark, Curtis Borchardt Bulls: Tyson Chandler, Scottie Pippen, Eddy Curry, Jay Williams Keys to the game Jazz: 1. Turnovers. In their last game against Detroit, they comitted 24 turnovers, resulting in 24 points. That is shooting yourself in the foot, and they can't expect to win with that turnover/opposition points ratio. 2. Bench Players. The team should be pretty banged up right now, especially AK47. The bench players will have to come in without the team losing a beat. 3. Defense. They let the Pistons get 96 points yesterday,a team known more for defense than offense. They normally defend well, but they don't have the best scorers so their defense will have to improve. Bulls 1. Fast Pace. Utah are finsihing a 6 game road trip, without much rest in between. They will be tired, Chichago can run them off the court. 2. AK47. Scored under 10 points yesterday for only the 2nd time. He can easily come right back with a big game and he will be looking to do it. 3. Shooting. Utah can make teams shooting % very low and have done it before. Chicago needs to avoid this and make Utah have to score to win. Key Matchup PG: Carlos Arroyo vs. Kirk Hinrich Prediction: Utah should win this one, but they are playing the day after a big loss to Detroit and are finsihing a 6 game road trip. But Utah should still prevail, just, 87-83.
I was getting worried about this game near the end. The Jazz had a 20 point lead and let it get all the way down to 7. They had way too many turnovers, I believe 26. Well on a happier note, Kirilenko was awesome in this game. He had 26 points on 9-13 shooting and had 16 rebounds (which is he new career high). One of the disappointments in this game was Raja Bell, He scored 0 points and fouled out. He has been great for the Jazz lately, but surely was not today. On the Bulls side, Rick Brunson has a really nice game stepping in for Jamal Crawford. Don't worry Crawford wasn't injured. I believe he had a few choice words and was benched by Scott Skiles in the first quarter and only played 2 minutes in the 1st. Overall: Sloppy sloppy game by the Jazz, but hey a win is a win. Next up is the Raptors on Friday. I predict a win, since we will be back at home
Yeah, good game played by the Jazz. I have to give them their props. All I have to say is... Kirilenko is a beast.
