Key contributors returning to the lineup could help the Chicago Bulls bounce back from a four-game losing streak as they head to Salt Lake City to face the Utah Jazz on Sunday.
Josh Giddey (sprained right ankle) and Coby White (strained right calf) are expected to return to the field this week. Giddey is listed as probable against the Jazz and White is listed as questionable.
For Chicago, recovering two players essential to its success could be enough to erase the difficulties that followed a good start to the season. The Bulls are certainly eager to not let a four-game skid turn into a much bigger problem.
“We have to go into games with the right mindset,” Bulls guard Kevin Huerter told the Chicago Sun-Times on Friday. “Our identity is to play fast, to play physical (and) to wear out teams.”
Giddey was having a breakout year before his ankle sprain, averaging 21.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 9.3 assists in nine games. He has had success against the Jazz in recent years. Over his last 10 games against Utah, Giddey averaged 15.6 points, 7.7 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game, including four double-doubles during that span.
White became the Bulls’ leading scorer a year ago after the team traded Zach Lavine, averaging a career-high 20.4 points and 4.5 assists per game.
The Bulls are looking for solutions after losing 124-113 Wednesday to Detroit while the Pistons played without four starters.
“It’s a very competitive league, and I don’t think anyone is good enough to come in and think they can get between the lines,” Chicago coach Billy Donovan told the Chicago Sun-Times after the loss to the Pistons. “You have to be incredibly focused and focused on what’s happening. You have to be really, really desperate.”
Desperate is probably the right descriptor for Utah in its effort to be better on defense.
The Jazz allowed 24 3-pointers and 51 percent shooting from the perimeter in a 132-122 loss to Atlanta on Thursday. Many of those perimeter shots from the Hawks were met with token resistance. This overshadowed the strong efforts of Lauri Markkanen and Ace Bailey on the offensive end.
Markkanen finished with 40 points, his sixth game this season with 30 or more points. Bailey added a career-high 21 points.
Utah rallied to take the lead in the second half after trailing by 18 points in the first half, but simply ran out of gas in the fourth quarter.
“You know, tonight was just one of those nights in the NBA where you come out and you’re a half step behind and the other team is in that good rhythm,” Jazz coach Will Hardy told the Deseret News after the game.
Utah split the season with Chicago a year ago, but the Jazz lost three straight at home to the Bulls.
–Field level media
