It's a Trap (Game)!: Bulls Look to Avoid Five-Game Losing Streak, Take On Utah Jazz

Michael Walton

Nov 16, 2025, 06:25

Michael Walton

Nov 16, 2025, 06:25

Updated at: Nov 16, 2025, 06:25

The Chicago Bulls look to avoid their first five-game losing streak of the season when they take on the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City.

The Chicago Bulls enter Sunday's matchup with the Utah Jazz looking for a legitimate, early-season, "get-right" win. At the time of this writing, Chicago is on a four-game losing streak. They are looking to avoid that losing streak stretching to five games, which would surely erase a lot of the positive vibes that permeated throughout Chicago after the Bulls' hot 6-1 start.

Thankfully, the Bulls should have some reinforcements on the horizon. Dynamic scorer Coby White has been out all season to this point, but is questionable for Sunday's contest, possibly marking his much-needed return to the rotation. Ankle injuries have slowed down Tre Jones, and led to absences for Josh Giddey, but both guards could play with Jones listed as questionable, and Giddey as probable heading into Sunday's game.

Chicago will need to focus regardless of who is on the floor, as the 4-8 Utah Jazz are your textbook rebuilding team that can catch a team slacking and pull off a major upset. Look no further than the Utah's recent win over the Indiana Pacers in which they put up a whopping 152 points over four quarters.

So what will Chicago need to do avoid the upset?

The Bulls will need to do is lock in when it comes to contesting 3-point shooters.

This had been strength of Chicago's to start the year, but the effort has waned over their four-game losing streak. Over those four losses, the Bulls are allowing opponents to make 14 3-pointers per game, up from 12 3-pointers allowed per game over the full season.

Allowing an avalanche of 3-point attempts would be a big problem against a Utah team that loves to get them up.

Utah comes into Sunday's matchup 8th in the NBA in 3-point attempts per game (40.4 3-pt FGAs per game), and they will kick that figure up a notch when any of their core players are in a good grove. For example, Utah got up 44 3-point attempts in Thursday's loss to the Atlanta Hawks, a game in which former Bull and current Jazz star Lauri Markkanen dropped 40 points, including 6-12 from the 3-point line.

The Bulls are likely to have Matas Buzelis and Patrick Williams as the primary defenders on the 7-foot-1 PF Markkanen, and both players will need to contest any 3-pointers but under control. Closing out too hard on the uber-athletic Markkanen will provide him with straight line drives to the rim, something a team without solid rim protection--like the Bulls--can't afford.

If Chicago can keep Utah under control from 3-point range, they should be able to take advantage of the porous Jazz defense in transition. Utah is tied with the Los Angeles Clippers for dead last in the league in turnover percentage (17.1%). The Jazz sloppy play on offense leads directly into their struggling defense, which is giving up 21.5 points per game off of turnovers, the fifth-worst mark in the league.

With the starting backcourt of Coby White and Josh Giddey possibly back together, the Bulls should have plenty of offensive firepower, but their attention to detail on defense will likely decide the game and their mood as they head into Denver on Monday.

It's a Trap (Game)!: Bulls Look to Avoid Five-Game Losing Streak, Take On Utah Jazz