Utah @ Chicago preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 23, 2019 ) Utah 114, Chicago 83

The Utah Jazz are winners of eight of their last nine games and are embarking on a three-game road trip after dominating the Detroit Pistons 104-81 at home on Monday to close out 2019. The Jazz begin the trip on Thursday by visiting the improving Chicago Bulls.

Utah matched a season low in points allowed against Detroit, holding the Pistons to 38 percent from the floor, and showed off a consistency at both ends of the floor that has been a staple of the last nine games. "These last few weeks, there's been a very good mindset," Jazz center Rudy Gobert told reporters. "Everyone's buying in, everyone's trying to bring something to the table. "... I'm pleased with the fact that we've won eight out of nine games, and I'm pleased because I feel like we have the right mindset. We can get a lot better, but at the same time, I like that we come out every night with focus and the mindset that we need to win every time." The Bulls are winners of five of their last nine and are confident enough in their team to be upset when they suffer a loss at home against the NBA-best Milwaukee Bucks. "We've shown we can play with anybody," Chicago forward Lauri Markkanen told reporters after Monday's 123-102 loss to the Bucks. "We've got to do it for 48 minutes to actually be in the game. We can't have those lapses like we had in the third quarter. We're capable of getting those wins and now we just have to do it."

TIME: 8 p.m. ET. TV: AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain, NBCS Chicago

ABOUT THE JAZZ (21-12): The last three wins coincided with the debut of guard Jordan Clarkson, who arrived in a trade from Cleveland and steadily increased his output in three games with Utah. Clarkson went for 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting in 27 minutes off the bench on Monday and is quickly integrating himself into the team's rotation. "It feels good," Clarkson told reporters after Monday's win. "We were screening and playing well and moving the ball like we're supposed to do. Defensively, we just did a great job keeping guys in front of us, and Rudy (Gobert) was a defensive presence. Everybody just pitched in, and it was a great team win."

ABOUT THE BULLS (13-21): Chicago shot 37.4 percent against the Bucks and point guard Kris Dunn was 1-of-6 from the floor. Dunn, who is settling into the starting lineup as a ball handler and defensive presence, was limited to 19 minutes on Monday as the Bucks sagged off defensively against the reluctant outside shooter. "I feel we have a really good team here," Dunn told reporters. "We have a lot of different pieces, a lot of talent. We have to put it together in the sense of going out there and competing at a high level. Now we have to be able to take that and get back to the drawing board and get back to work."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Jazz G Donovan Mitchell is averaging 29.3 points on 56.1 percent shooting over the last three games.

2. Bulls G Cody White is 11-of-18 from 3-point range over the last four games.

3. Utah took both meetings last season, including a 114-83 triumph at Chicago on March 23.

PREDICTION: Jazz 109, Bulls 101