Not Enough Jazz Still Feels Like Too Much

It's too bad Taj Gibson had to fly back to Chicago to take a real look at his sprained ankle.  He missed a chance to recreate the above photo.  Fortunately, the Bulls didn't need him to beat the Utah Jazz.  However, they would have preferred a much more comfortable final than 97-95.

With Derrick Rose and Pau Gasol returning from their respective injuries, the Bulls felt healthier and a little more talented.  That was evidenced by a 15-point halftime lead.  They pulled in front of Utah by as much as 21 and everything seemed to be just fine.

Suddenly, Utah caught a second wind and took the lead early in the fourth.  From there, it was back and forth between the teams with the Jazz leading by four with 3:30 remaining.  Eventually, the Bulls retook the lead by one thanks to a fast break which culminated in Mike Dunleavy's putback layup for his only points of the game.  After Gasol split a pair of free throws with 3.2 seconds left, Gordon Hayward tried to duplicate his game-winning three against Cleveland earlier this month, but was unsuccessful.

Jimmy Butler, quickly making a case for the Most Improved Player Award, led all scorers with 25 points, shooting 8-of-16 from the field and 8-of-9 behind the free-throw line.  Gasol acted like no time off had been wasted, barely trailing the Bulls' swingman with 23.  Finishing one rebound shy of a double-double certainly helped both his and the team's causes.  There's just no way you can underestimate his importance during the first month of the season.

Rose, seeing game action for the first time in 11 days, did his best to shake off the rust with 18 points and a team-high five assists in 24 minutes.  There was talk after the game that fatigue in the second half slowed his later production, but it's probably not something to get too worked up over.  He got some help off the bench from Aaron Brooks and Nikola Mirotic, who each scored 10.  That's all the Bulls could have asked from their third-string point guard and an increasingly improving rookie.

Granted, the Bulls are still not completely healthy despite getting two of their three best players back for this game.  However, you should still beat the beatable teams and they almost blew this one.  Then again, they still stopped a two-game losing streak and it's best to stop any bleeding before it gets too far out of control.  Just ask the 76ers, Hornets and Thunder (still can't believe I'm putting that team in this category).

The Bulls will stay in the Mountain Time Zone as they play the Denver Nuggets Tuesday.  That's another Northwest Division team so far behind Portland, the Rockies have practically doubled in size from their perspective.  It's the Bulls' job to keep it that way, hopefully with Kirk Hinrich returning.