Bulls 97, Jazz 95
Jimmy Butler scored 25 points and Chicago survived a furious rally to snap a two-game slide and hold off host Utah.
Pau Gasol (calf) returned from a three-game absence and collected 23 points and nine rebounds for the Bulls, who improved to 2-2 on their seven-game road trip. Derrick Rose (hamstring) came back after a four-game absence and contributed 18 points for Chicago.
Derrick Favors recorded 21 points and a season-high 15 rebounds while Enes Kanter had 19 and eight for the Jazz, who trailed by as much as 21 points. Trey Burke chipped in 18 points and 10 assists as Utah dropped its third straight.
Burke knocked down a long jumper and found Kanter and Favors for baskets to give the Jazz a 91-87 lead with 3:30 to play. Mike Dunleavy’s putback put the Bulls back in front 96-95 with 22 seconds left and Favors could not convert an open jumper from the free-throw line before Gasol split a pair at the line and Gordon Hayward came up short at the buzzer.
Chicago scored the first nine points of the game and led by 16 points at the end of the first quarter before heading into the half with a 56-41 cushion. The Bulls were still up 11 points with 3:21 left in the third before Utah closed the quarter with a 15-5 run, led by eight points from Burke, to cut it to 78-71 heading into the fourth.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The Bulls were missing F Taj Gibson (ankle), who was sent home from the trip to be examined in Chicago. … Rose was held to 25 minutes and was backed up by G Aaron Brooks, who scored 10 points in 23 minutes off the bench. … Favors has five double-doubles in the last 11 games.