George, Collins lead the Jazz to 1st win, 135-126 over the Bulls
CHICAGO, IL - NOVEMBER 04: Utah Jazz forward John Collins (20) and Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic (9) and held back by referee John Butler (30) during the second half on November 4, 2024 at the United Center in Chicago,Illinois.(Photo by Melissa
CHICAGO - Keyonte George had 33 points and nine assists, John Collins added 28 points and 13 rebounds and the Utah Jazz won for the first time this season, beating the Chicago Bulls 135-126 on Monday night.
The injury-depleted Jazz (1-6) entered as the NBA's worst team offensively, averaging 99.8 points on 39.1 % percent shooting. Against Chicago, the Jazz shot 53.9% from the floor and were 45.7% from 3-pointer range at 16 of 35.
Collin Sexton added 24 points for Utah, and Walker Kessler had 12 points and 15 rebounds.
Chicago's Coby White came on in the second half to score 28 points, tying it twice late in the third quarter. But the Bulls, playing without injured leading scorer Zach LaVine, were unable to take the lead after falling behind by 15 points.
Ayo Dosunmu scored 25 points on 9-for 13 shooting, and Nikola Vucevic had 23 points for Chicago. The Bulls have lost two in a row to drop to 3-4.
Takeaways
Jazz: Utah outplayed Chicago even though it played a third straight game without leading scorer Lauri Markkanen (back spasms).
Bulls: Chicago stormed back in the third, but couldn't sustain the run.
Key moment
After White tied it at 90 late in the third, Utah outscored Chicago 21-11 to pull away.
Key stat:
The Jazz had a season high in points and the 20-year-old George, in his second NBA season, tied his career high.
Up next
Utah is at Milwaukee on Thursday night. Chicago is at Dallas on Wednesday night.