On October 31, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continued, and the Bulls played at home against the Jazz. Previously, the Bulls had a record of 4 wins and 1 loss, ranking third in the East, and the Jazz record was 4 wins and 0 losses, the only unbeaten team in the league, from the perspective of the paper strength and game status of the two teams, it is not too much to describe it with Mars hitting the earth. This kind of game tests the personal ability of key stars. Conley was absent due to a knee injury, the game was unusually glued, Mitchell vs. DeRozan Lavin, in the third quarter after DeRozan led the team to rebound, in the fourth quarter Mitchell launched a crazy counterattack, but at the critical moment Vucevic scored consecutive points to seal the victory. In the end, the Bulls defeated the Jazz 107-99 at home, and the Jazz were unbeaten.
Stats, jazz side, Mitchell 30 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists, Clarkson 16 points, Gobert 17 points and 19 rebounds, Bojan 14 points, Ingles 9 points and 6 rebounds. On the Bulls side, DeRozan had 32 points, six rebounds and three assists, Lavine 26 points, five rebounds and four assists, Vucevic had 16 points and 12 rebounds, Ball had 11 points, five rebounds, three assists and four steals, and Caruso had seven points, four rebounds and three assists.
Gobert sent a big hat on the defensive end of the opening game, and the offensive end ate cake consecutively, and after Ball responded to the three-point shot, Bojan and Gobert continued to respond from the basket. In the middle of the band, Lavin led the team to a wave of 8-0 climax, and Mitchell also scored seven consecutive points in response, quickly helping the Jazz regain the lead. In the second half, DeRozan and Bauer used mid-range shots and counter-attacks to gradually gain the initiative, while Ingles and Clarkson also responded, with the Bulls 25-24 Jazz in the first quarter. Back in the second quarter, Dausum blasted in three points, DeRozan hit consecutive hits, and the Bulls had pulled away a double-digit point difference. At key moments, Mitchell and Clarkson scored consecutive points to stop the bleeding, and Lavin attacked the inside to create damage, but the Bulls' shooting rate was declining. Mitchell and Gobert led the team to complete the rebound in the second half, and the Jazz were 57-54 Bulls in the half.
Back in the third quarter, Green scored with a basket, O'Neal and Mitchell played counter-attacks in a row, but DeRozan twice made it 2+1 to give the Bulls the initiative. In the middle, the Bulls relied on the high-quality defense of Caruso and Ball to constantly force the Jazz to make mistakes, and only Clarkson was barely supporting the Jazz side, and Caruso and DeRozan continued to score at the end of the quarter, and after the third quarter, the Bulls led the Jazz 79-72. In the fourth quarter of the showdown, the Jazz made consecutive low-level mistakes, and DeRozan led the team to open up a 14-point gap. Clarkson found the feel in the middle and scored consecutive strong attacks, with Mitchell and Bojan leading the team to narrow the point difference to single digits. At the crucial moment, Vucevic blasted in three points, and in the final moment, Vucevic cut a layup, after which the Jazz were powerless to turn the tables, and the Bulls had a thrilling defeat to end the opponent's four-game winning streak.
The Bulls' biggest change this season has actually come from defensive improvements. Ball and Caruso are the league's top defensive guards, Ball's blocking ability, Caruso's ability to steal and launch a counterattack, and the judgment of the assisted defense are very good, but to be honest, the Bulls in addition to the strongest five points (Ravin + Vucevic + Bauer + DeRozan + Caruso), the strength gap between others is a bit large, and the depth of the lineup is not enough. Today's game, DeRozan and Ravenbauer played, and the Bulls' entire defense put a lot of pressure on the Jazz, the Jazz side really attacked the strong point only one Mitchell, and the Bulls side although Vucevic was completely limited by Gobert, but they used a strong oppressive defense to make the Jazz more mistakes, and their ability to seize opportunities was particularly strong. This season in the East is worth looking forward to, from the Bucks Nets to the multi-team melee.
The Jazz didn't play well enough today. To be honest, Conley's absence did have a certain impact on the Jazz's strength, but they did not encounter much resistance in the previous 4 games, and today's entire first half play was not bad, but when the Bulls improved their defensive intensity, Clarkson's some unreasonable shots, coupled with too many mistakes by Ingles and Mitchell, gave the Bulls the opportunity to open up the point difference. The Jazz's paper strength is of course very good, but it is obvious that there are some light enemies, and when they want to raise the intensity again, the Bulls do not give them a chance. It can only be said that the Bulls' offseason operations have made them instantly among the strong teams, and the outside world has ignored their existence.