The Utah Jazz's new formula for road success is: Keep the crowd out of the game, hold the score down, execute down the stretch.
Saturday at the Chicago Bulls' gleaming new United Center, the Jazz used that formula to win a franchise-record seventh road game in a row, 97-89. Coupled with Houston's loss to Boston, the Jazz are now alone in first place in the Midwest Division for the first time since 1992.It was by no means an artistic contest. The Bulls had played the night before in Atlanta, and the Jazz are in the middle of a long road trip. It showed.
"Both teams looked like they were struggling," said Jazz coach Jerry Sloan. "They (the Bulls) didn't have a great deal of energy."
One thing the Jazz were determined not to let Chicago do was draw energy from the crowd of 22,716. Everytime the Bulls made a run, Utah turned them away. The Jazz led for most of the game, and when the Bulls did lead, it was never by more than two.
"We wanted to keep the crowd out of it as much as possible," Sloan said.
"The crowd can give the home team a lift, especially in a back-to-back situation where they're a little tired to begin with," said Jazz guard John Stockton.
While the Bulls lacked any kind of lift, the Jazz got a boost on the defensive end from two somewhat unusual sources: Tom Chambers and David Benoit. Chambers, not noted for his defense, guarded Tony Kukoc down the stretch and never let him become a factor after he had hurt the Jazz earlier by going to the hoop.
"I just made sure I kept him in front of me and didn't let him get by me," Chambers said.
And Benoit (with relief from Bryon Russell) kept Scottie Pippen off-balance all night. Benoit played him somewhat loose on the perimeter, cutting off his drive and almost encouraging him to shoot outside. Pippen responded by making one of nine three-pointers, four of 15 overall, for 17 points.
"They used their defensive prowess to tear us apart," said Bulls coach Phil Jackson.
Chicago, on the other hand, couldn't figure out any way to defend Utah's Karl Malone. Ex-Jazzman Larry Krystkowiak opened the game on Malone, and just about everyone else took a shot at guarding him. The Jazz forward made 14 of 22 shots for 30 points, and he grabbed 14 rebounds.
"We tried a lot of things on Malone, including switches, but nothing was successful," Jackson said.
"He was just putting the ball into the basket no matter what," said Chicago's Bill Wennington.
This game got off to a slow start, at least in part due to some unusual calls by the officials that put Malone, Stockton and Pippen on the bench with two first-quarter fouls each. The Bulls shot 26.3 percent in that first quarter, and improved slightly in the second, yet they trailed by just two at the half, 45-43, because they were getting to the free-throw line, grabbing offensive rebounds and committing fewer turnovers than the Jazz.
In the third quarter, there was great potential for the Jazz's road win streak to end. To begin with, they got their fifth team foul just 3:31 into the third quarter, which means the Bulls would go to the line on every subsequent foul. Curiously, the Bulls had no fouls at that point. A minute and a half later, Stockton sat down with his fourth foul, with the Jazz leading by 11, 59-48. With Stockton watching, the Bulls went on a 22-11 run that tied the game at 70. A dunk by Antoine Carr put the Jazz in the lead at the buzzer, 72-70.
The score was tied at 82 in the fourth when the Jazz made a mini-run that allowed them to control things down the stretch. First, Stockton drove to the hoop for a tough basket in traffic. After a loose-ball foul on Pippen, Chambers made a difficult fall-away shot from 10 feet out. On the next Jazz possession, Malone dunked with authority.
The Bulls then launched the obligatory catch-up threes, but most didn't come close, while the Jazz made free throws on the other end to wrap it up.
Only three Jazzmen scored in double figures. Besides Malone, Stockton contibuted 16 points, 15 assists, and Hornacek chipped in 14 (7 of 11 shots).
For the Bulls, Kukoc totaled 19, B.J. Armstrong 16, Steve Kerr 12 and Wennington 10.
The Jazz now face perhaps their toughest test of this road trip, the second game of a back-to-back set, when they play Milwaukee today. The Bucks haven't been that good lately, but the Jazz will be fighting them and fatigue.
GAME NOTES: Jay Humphries got a technical while on the bench, for saying, "You're doing a good job, ref" . . . Russell got a T for hanging on the rim after a dunk. "I might have twisted a bit," he said. "Nothing Shaq wouldn't do" . . . Benoit had seven rebounds in the first quarter . . . Utah is 8-1 against the Eastern Conference . . . In two meetings against the Bulls, the Jazz have shot, in order, 57.3 and 56.2 percent from the field.