NEWSLETTER
Utah has won seven straight. Chicago has lost five straight. Let’s see what happens.
Broadcast Info
Chicago Bulls at Utah Jazz – 8:00 p.m. CT NBC Sports Chicago, 670 The Score (audio)
Chicago Bulls
Projected Starters:
1. Tomas Satoransky
2. Patrick Williams
3. Zach LaVine
4. Thaddeus Young
5. Nikola Vucevic
Injury Report: Zach LaVine QUESTIONABLE (ankle), Coby White QUESTIONABLE (neck), Garrett Temple OUT (hamstring)
UPDATE (7:38): Both LaVine and White will take the floor tonight after each missing Wednesday’s game against the Suns! We should keep an extra close eye on LaVine, who tried to play through his ankle injury against the Spurs and Warriors, but clearly struggled. Hopefully, that extra day of rest helped him fully recover.
Injury Update: LaVine and White Both Questionable For Tonight’s Matchup With the Jazz, Temple Still Outhttps://t.co/Vc5c9CZkdr
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) April 2, 2021
Utah Jazz
Projected Starters:
1. Mike Conley
2. Donovan Mitchell
3. Bojan Bogdanovic
4. Royce O’Neal
5. Rudy Gobert
Injury Report: Joe Ingles DAY-TO-DAY (leg), Udoka Azubuike OUT (ankle), Juwan Morgan DAY-TO-DAY (calf)
Odds
The Bulls are +12.5 point underdogs for tonight’s matchup against the Jazz, according to the FanDuel Illinois Sportsbook (+610 ML) and the DraftKings Illinois Sportsbook (+575 ML), and the PointsBet Illinois Sportsbook (+610 ML).
You can sign up for each of those books below, and get yourself a nice deposit bonus in the process.
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Oof. Mobile registration for sportsbooks in Illinois is suddenly going away tomorrow night. Here's what you need to know if you want to sign up before then: https://t.co/fnHmVFOrGV
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) April 2, 2021
What to Watch For …
• The Chicago Bulls kept things surprisingly close against the Phoenix Suns despite the absence of three key players. Garrett Temple has already been ruled out again, but Coby White and Zach LaVine could potentially make a return. Head coach Billy Donovan told reporters that both are game-time decisions tonight.
Zach LaVine and Coby White in warm-up-and see mode vs. Jazz. White did a bit more than LaVine at shootaround this morning, says Billy Donovan
— Rob Schaefer (@rob_schaef) April 2, 2021
• The last time these teams battled, the Jazz punched to Bulls in the mouth and then gave them a swift kick in the groin. Chicago lost by 25 and let the Jazz shoot 43.6 percent from downtown. Big man Rudy Gobert also dominated on the defensive end, recording a career-high 10 blocks. While I can’t necessarily say we should expect a vastly different score this time around – especially if LaVine, White, and Temple are sidelined – I do feel better about the Bulls chances to evade Gobert’s wrath with Nikola Vucevic and Daniel Theis now on the roster. FWIW: Vooch scored 34 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists the last time he faced Gobert.
• Perimeter defense will have to take a step in the right direction tonight. The Jazz are the 2nd-best 3-point shooting team in the league, and they have two remarkably crafty guards in Donovan and Mitchell. I’ll be interested to see how Donovan tries to stack up with this squad on that end of the floor.
• Bulls looked hella competitive against the Suns, cutting their 16-point lead down to just 3 points in the fourth quarter. I’m not feeling great about the Bulls chances to grab a W, but I’ll be semi-happy if they can give a similarly scrappy and focused performance (they won both the turnover and the personal fouls battle on Wednesday night).
Get Caught Up …
LIVE: Head Coach Billy Donovan’s media availability prior to tonight’s game against the Jazz https://t.co/1rIYofTqsp
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) April 2, 2021
Current Playoff Odds Still Not Warming Up to the Bullshttps://t.co/S8h0Y0UwLD
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) April 2, 2021
