Jazz Look For Record 21st Straight Home Win When They Face Bulls

Apr 1, 2021, 3:10 PM

Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert blocks the shot of Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

BY BEN ANDERSON, KSL SPORTS

KSL Sports

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Utah Jazz are looking to set a new franchise record for consecutive home wins when they face the Chicago Bulls on Friday night.

The Jazz have won 20 straight games at Vivint Arena dating back to their January 1 win over the Los Angeles Clippers and are looking to set the new record at 21 against Chicago.

The Bulls meanwhile are hoping to halt a five-game losing streak which began with a loss to the Jazz on March 22.

Jazz Can Win Franchise Record 21st Straight At Home

After opening the season 0-2 at home, the Jazz are undefeated in 20 straight meetings, including a 114-75 blowout victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday.

The team last hit 20 consecutive home wins during the 97-98 and the 98-99 seasons. The Jazz amassed 12 wins to close out the regular season in ’98, before starting the ’99 lockout-shortened season 8-0. The Jazz had previously won 19 straight two times before falling one game short of tying the franchise record.

The @utahjazz will increase the fan capacity allowed at Vivint Arena to 5,600 when they face the Houston Rockets on Friday night. https://t.co/pAbmzR0FmA #KSLSports @kslsports

— KSL 5 TV (@KSL5TV) March 11, 2021

“It’s a special feeling honestly, to be able to know coming into the building like we have here at Vivint that we have an advantage,” Conley said. “We always feel like that. Even when the stands are not completely full, we feel like we still have some of the best fans in the world.”

The Jazz were one of only a handful of teams that opened the season allowing limited attendance at home games. The team has steadily increased the number of fans allowed at Vivint Arena, now sitting at 5,600 per contest.

Bulls Face Jazz Amid Brutal Stretch

There aren’t many tougher stretches in the NBA than the one the Bulls are on currently. Chicago wraps up their four-game Western Conference road trip in Utah before returning home for one game against the East-leading Brooklyn Nets on Sunday, then head back onto the road for another five-game trip beginning Tuesday.

The Bulls have lost five straight contests including a 121-116 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night. Amid the losing streak, Chicago has dropped to the 10th seed in the Eastern Conference and would face the Atlanta Hawks on the road in the postseason play-in tournament if the regular season were to end today.

Wheels up to Utah. 🛫 pic.twitter.com/lmgAYf4DKb

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) April 1, 2021

The Bulls are just two games ahead of the Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards for the final spot in the end-of-season play-in tournament.

The team is winless since acquiring big man Nikola Vucevic at the NBA trade deadline. The former Orlando Magic All-Star is averaging 22 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 4.0 assists in three contests with the Bulls, but the team has struggled on the road since making the blockbuster trade.

Key Matchup

The key matchup between the Jazz and Bulls will again pit All-Stars Donovan Mitchell and Zach LaVine against one another.

LaVine is having a career year, averaging 27.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.8 assists while shooting a blistering 51 percent from the floor and 42 percent from the three-point line. However, the guard struggled over his last five games, the All-Star guard is averaging just 19.4 points per game while shooting 37 percent from the floor and 34 percent from the three-point line.

LaVine missed the Bulls’ last game against the Suns with an ankle injury, despite being listed as probable shortly before game time.

"For good 10 to 15 minutes, I think all of us on that flight were questioning if we were going to be here today." – @utahjazz guard Mike Conley#TakeNote https://t.co/Hz59RMDxyU

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) April 1, 2021

Mitchell also missed the Jazz last game in Memphis after the team’s terrifying flight that was forced to make an emergency landing on Tuesday. The Jazz guard opted to stay home after the ordeal.

Mitchell was nominated for Western Conference Player of the Month for March but lost out to Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic. The guard averaged 28.8 points, 6.1 assists, and 4.3 rebounds while shooting 46 percent from the floor and 43 percent from three.