Jazz Luckily Bounce Bulls Behind Mitchell’s 26 Points

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Utah Jazz beat the Chicago Bulls 113-106 to earn their 21st consecutive home win, a new franchise record eclipsing the number set by 1998 and 1999 teams.

Donovan Mitchell led the team with 26 in his first game back since the Jazz plane was forced to make an emergency landing after a bird strike on Tuesday en route to Memphis.

The Bulls were led by Thaddeus Young who scored a season-high 25 points to keep the game close through the fourth quarter, but ultimately the Jazz pulled away.

The @utahjazz have won a franchise record 2️⃣1️⃣ consecutive home games. 👀#TakeNote #CHIatUTA https://t.co/qoHtNlh6vg

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) April 3, 2021

Lucky Bounces May Have Won Jazz The Game

The NBA is often described as a make or miss league, though generally, the phrase is applied to how teams shoot the ball on open shots that have a near 50/50 chance of going in. When those shots fall, that team wins. When those shots miss, they lose.

For the Jazz, some of their makes against the Bulls may have been purely accidental, but those fortunate bounces probably won them the game.

In the second half, the Jazz had three uncharacteristically difficult circus shots find the bottom of the net, helping them maintain a small lead late in the fourth quarter which was ultimately enough to eke out a victory.

First, Bojan Bogdanovic who has struggled to shoot the ball throughout the season hit this tough jumper while being fouled by the Bulls Coby White with 7:10 remaining in the third quarter.

Bogey + 1 pic.twitter.com/nHeNUVKbit

— utahjazz (@utahjazz) April 3, 2021

Young played excellent defense here, but White’s reach allowed Bogdanovic to draw a foul and throw a prayer at the basket. His prayer was answered, and Bogdanovic turned it into a three-point play.

Donovan Mitchell’s two hands pointed towards the sky tell you all you need to know about the difficulty in this shot.

Then, just moments later, Mike Conley hit one of his most improbable shots of the season, once again coming up lucky against good Bulls defense.

The Jazz guard drove looking for a foul against the Bulls’ Zach LaVine but was met with better defense. As Conley lost the ball on his way up, he quickly gathered the ball in his lap and threw it at the rim it happened to fall.

✨ MAGIC ✨ pic.twitter.com/8ECaxVPV0f

— utahjazz (@utahjazz) April 3, 2021

Once again, you can recognize the luck involved by Conley’s smile after the make.

Finally, Rudy Gobert hit a desperation lay-up off of a broken pick and roll play by simply throwing the ball over his head.

Conley found Gobert rolling to the basket Chicago’s defense adjusted quickly and trapped the Jazz center down low.

What's the opposite of a sky hook called??? Because Rudy's got it down!#TakeNote l #CHIatUTA l @KSLSports pic.twitter.com/XSWMoe1WR2

— Sam Farnsworth (@Samsworth_KSL) April 3, 2021

Again, the luck is apparent after the made basket as Gobert ran back down the floor looking at his offhand which he used to connect on the underhand reverse shot. Gobert technically writes with his left hand, so he proclaimed to be a southpaw after the game, but everything else he does on the basketball floor favors his right hand.

Conley did win the NBA’s HORSE challenge while the season was suspended last year, so maybe he deserves credit for his made basket, but truthfully, none of these three shots were likely to go in on a nightly basis.

But, when teamed with Bogdanovic’s free-throw, these baskets accounted for seven points in the Jazz favor, the same difference in the score at the end of the game.

Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good, and tonight the Jazz were lucky.

Bulls Schedule Makers May Have Won The Jazz This Game

If lucky bounces didn’t earn the Jazz this victory, the league’s schedule makers might have.

Though the Jazz have had more than their fair share of travel issues over the last 72 hours, the Bulls are in the middle of a gauntlet rarely seen in the NBA.

Chicago flew to Utah on the final stop of a four-game road trip that began two days after the NBA trade deadline. It just so happened, the Bulls made arguably the biggest trade at the deadline, acquiring big man Nikola Vucevic in exchange for Otto Porter and Wendell Carter Jr.

The Bulls are playing in the fourth game of a four game road trip, which opens a stretch of 12 games in different cities if you count the home games on either end.

Schedule makers didn't do this team any favors.

— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) April 3, 2021

The Bulls also acquired Daniel Theis at the deadline as part of their busy day that saw eight players change rosters between three teams.

After the deadline, Chicago had stops in San Antonio, Golden State, and Phoenix before traveling to Utah, one of the more spread out trips a team can have across the West. Now, the Bulls will travel home for one game against the East-leading Brooklyn Nets, before embarking on another five-game road trip with stops in Indiana, Tampa, Atlanta, Minnesota, and Memphis.

In total, the Bulls will play 12 games in 12 different cities over a 22 day period.

It’s a brutal stretch, especially with a new roster that hasn’t had time to have a full practice since the May 25 deadline. The Bulls gave the Jazz all they could handle tonight and deserve a lot of credit for playing so hard.

Jazz Are Streaking

The Jazz own a pair of league-leading stretches at the moment, and it’s one of the reasons they own the best record in the NBA at 37-11, an astounding 26 games over .500.

First, the Jazz have won eight consecutive games, the longest streak in the league four games better than the next best team. The wins come after a stretch where the Jazz won just three out of eight surrounding the All-Star break, a testament to the team’s resilience and toughness even when they run into hard times.

Second, the Jazz have won a franchise-record 21 straight homes games, eclipsing the record previously set by the Karl Malone and John Stockton Jazz.

There's no place like home ❤️#TakeNote pic.twitter.com/J16GKeKAIM

— utahjazz (@utahjazz) April 3, 2021

It’s going to be nearly impossible for any player in the Jazz future to overtake either of the two statues on the team’s all-time greats list, but Gobert and Mitchell are trying their darndest.

They won’t catch Malone’s scoring numbers, nor will they match Stockton’s assists and steals numbers, but as of today, they’ve broken one streak that had lasted more than two decades.

The Jazz have a quick turnaround tomorrow night when they face the Orlando Magic. The team can make it nine straight wins overall, and 22 consecutive home wins with a victory.