SALT LAKE CITY — Donovan Mitchell scored 34 points, his third straight game with more than 30, to help the Utah Jazz pull away from the Chicago Bulls, 110-102, on Saturday night (Sunday, Manila time).
The Bulls trailed only 97-92 before Royce O’Neale and Joe Ingles hit back-to-back 3-pointers to make it 105-92 with 2:23 remaining.
Ingles, who had 16 points, then waved goodbye as he backpedaled down the court, clinching Utah’s fifth win in its last six games.
Zach Lavine scored 21 points and Lauri Markkanen added 16 for the Bulls, who dropped their seventh straight.
The Jazz played their second game without their top three point guards: Ricky Rubio, Dante Exum and Raul Neto.
But that might only make Mitchell more effective as he has the ball in his hands more and can use his creativity to create shots. He had six assists.
Rudy Gobert scored 15 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and had a career-high eight assists.
Kyle Korver scored 16 points and passed Jason Terry to move into fourth place in NBA history with 2,284 3-pointers. Ray Allen, Reggie Miller and Stephen Curry top the list.
Mitchell’s recent tear has corresponded with the Jazz finally rising above .500 and replicating last season’s remarkable second-half success as their schedule finally softened.
The Bulls pressured the Jazz defensively and drove the lane on Gobert without fear after losing 146-109 to Golden State on Friday. Unlike past losses when the Bulls’ effort could be questioned, Chicago played hard but shots stopped falling midway through the final quarter.
The Bulls outscored the Jazz 54-32 in the paint as they tried again and again to get to the rim.
Utah led 31-19 before Jabari Parker, who had only played one of the last 13 games, spurred a 16-2 with seven points to give the Bulls a 35-33 edge. Chicago held the Jazz to 35 percent shooting and led at halftime 53-51. (AP)
