January 19th, 2007
Chicago (120) at Utah (115)
Bulls keep winning streak alive with OT victory in Utah[
Boxscore ]
Ben Gordon and the Bulls celebrated their ninth straight winIt took them an extra five minutes, but the Chicago Bulls kept their winning streak alive as they handed the Utah Jazz their third straight loss at home. Ben Gordon top scored for the Bulls with 35 points while Carlos Boozer posted 28 points and 7 rebounds against his old club and Tyson Chandler had a huge game with 19 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks. Andrei Kirilenko led the Jazz with 27 points while Mehmet Okur had 23 points and 21 rebounds. Deron Williams also scored 21 points for Utah to go along with six assists but struggled from the field.
Chicago were sluggish to begin the game, shooting 8/24 from the field in the first quarter and though they kept Utah in check for most of the period, the Jazz made a short run as they beat the Bulls to offensive rebounds and jumped out to an eight point lead heading into the second. Utah maintained control through most of the second quarter but Gordon scored 11 points to help Chicago take a 42-40 lead. Former Bull Chris Wilcox then had a putback to end the half and knot the game up at 42.
Utah began the third quarter with five answered points, immediately getting the Bulls on their heels. Gordon paced his team with eight third quarter points but Kirilenko answered with nine of his own as the Jazz out-dueled the Bulls to go up by seven heading into the fourth thanks to a three by Danny Granger - who was traded to the Jazz along with Andres Nocioni and Chris Wilcox in exchange for Boozer - setting up an exciting conclusion for the teams who twice met in the NBA Finals just under ten years ago.
The Bulls came flying out of the gate at the beginning of the fourth quarter but to no avail as they soon found themselves down ten, 81-71. Boozer and Chandler both turned in heroic performances for the visiting Bulls however as Boozer scored nine in the fourth and Chandler had a spectacular quarter with 14 points, five rebounds and three blocks as Chicago stormed back with a 14-2 run to take an 85-83 lead. Kirk Hinrich, who had three steals and four assists in the fourth, deftly picked off passes on consecutive plays and ran the fast break to perfection as Chicago went up 91-86 with a little over three minutes to play.
The Jazz were far from done however as they fought back and then capitalised on a turnover and a missed shot by Gordon to tie the game at 91 and then take a 93-91 lead. The teams traded baskets before Deron Williams appeared as though he might have sealed the game for the Jazz with a three pointer that put them up 102-99 with just under 50 seconds left in the game. Kyle Korver then nailed a three from the top of the key to tie the game up at 102 and give the Jazz the ball with 36.3 seconds remaining.
Utah brought the ball up the floor and set up their offense, but the Bulls' swarming defense was effective in disrupting the play and Ben Gordon picked off a pass from Williams intended for Okur and called timeout, giving the Bulls a chance to win the game in regulation. Following the timeout, Gordon was forced into a tough eighteen footer from the elbow that caught the back of the rim, sending the game to an extra period.
Both teams played with a sense of urgency from the start of overtime but it was Chicago who scored first off a Hinrich layup. After Okur responded, Gordon made a three and then found Korver for another three on consecutive possessions to put the Bulls up by six. The Jazz were far from done though as reigning Western Conference Rookie of the Month Keenan Pack made back to back three pointers and Okur scored off an offensive rebound to take a 112-111 lead. Undaunted, Hinrich found Boozer underneath for a layup and the Bulls would not trail again, with Deng making a layup of his own before Gordon and Chandler sealed game with some clutch free throws.
"We had some really rough stretches out there tonight but we came together and played our best basketball when it mattered the most," said Kirk Hinrich, who had eight of his 13 assists in the fourth quarter and overtime. "(The Jazz) pushed us to our limits. We both have a lot of pride and when you've got some guys on both sides facing their old teams, it really gets intense." Former Bulls Chris Wilcox and Andres Nocioni both turned in solid efforts, with Wilcox contributing 14 points and 13 rebounds while Nocioni scored 12 points on 6/6 shooting and added four rebounds. Nocioni commented after the game "Obviously we wanted to make an impression and get the win, but I know how tough these guys are from playing with them." He added "I was disappointed when I was traded but it's business and you come to understand that."
Chicago will now travel to Phoenix, where they face the Suns on Sunday night.
Notes: Both teams wore jerseys from the mid 1990s, in honour of the Bulls and Jazz teams that met twice in the NBA Finals...Utah held a 48-40 advantage on the boards including a 24-18 edge at the offensive end...Kirk Hinrich finished just two rebounds shy of a 5-5-5-5-5 performance...Deron Williams attempted a career high 14 three pointers but made just three...Utah were 7/7 from the free throw line. Chicago were 11/16...this game marked only the second time the Bulls have gone into overtime so far this season and their first overtime win of the season. They had previously lost an overtime game to the New Jersey Nets 122-117.
Current Record: 32-5
Next Game: @ Phoenix Suns; 25-15 (January 21st)
That was definitely one of the more exciting games I've played, it's a shame I couldn't win it with Gordon in regulation but at least I came out on top. Although I'm happy with my current roster, I have to admit if Granger was knocking down threes and Nocioni and Wilcox were that consistent, I might not have been quite so eager to trade them. Still, it's given me a rotation that I'm more comfortable with and it's certainly been successful so I'm not exactly regretting the deal.