3 Keys: Chicago Bulls in for Another High-Scoring Battle with the Utah Jazz?

I guess when two mediocre messes meet, things get crazy!

The last time the Chicago Bulls and Utah Jazz faced off, fans witnessed a double-OT spectacle. It was Coby White's first performance of the season, and he blew right past his minutes restriction for a stellar 27-point showing on a perfect 14-14 display from the free throw line. He even drained a near buzzer-beating layup to force the second extra period.

Nevertheless, the impressive runs and clutch buckets came to an end once Keyonte George hit a triple with 0.2 seconds left on the clock. The off-balance 27-footer gave the Jazz a 150-147 victory, and gave the Bulls their fifth straight loss.

Chicago now has a chance for revenge on their home floor, but it will not be easy. Utah enters the game playing some of its best basketball of the season. While they may be 2-2 in their last four games, one of those wins came against the Cavaliers, and one of those losses came in OT against the reigning champs!

They may not be a particularly consistent bunch, but the Jazz have what it takes to give the Bulls some serious trouble on the backend of a back-to-back.

Can Coby White Do It Again?

Coby White of the Chicago Bulls — Nov 16, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (0) makes a layup during the second half against Utah Jazz forward Cody Williams (5) at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Peter Creveling-Imagn Images | Peter Creveling-Imagn Images

Sitting out Tuesday night's meeting with the Houston Rockets, the Chicago Bulls will welcome a fresh Coby White back to the floor tonight.

Once again, the last time he faced off against this porous Jazz defense, he carved them up from start to finish. The Jazz allow more points per game than any team in the NBA. Opponents shoot upwards of 49.0 percent from the field and 37.0 percent from downtown. If I'm a well-rested White, I'm salivating at those numbers.

Likewise, the Jazz send opponents to the free throw line 26.5 times a night. Only the Pistons and Pacers are fouling more. Without a proven rim protector like Walker Kessler in the lineup, they have been horrendous at keeping teams out of the paint and contesting shots cleanly. White needs to come in with the same downhill mindset he had in November. The only problem? I'm not sure if his body will allow it.

It's hard not to ignore how steep a drop-off we have seen in White's free throw attempts over the last few games. As he continues to battle calf injuries, the guard has shot a combined three freebies over his past four contests. White averaged nearly 7.0 attempts a night in his 14 games before that. Now, the good news is he did look a lot more like his former self against the Mavericks with 22 points on 9-15 shooting. But is he feeling confident enough to tap back into his foul-baiting ways?

To be honest, this might be a game where White wants to slow things down a bit. Nobody has a worse halfcourt defense in the NBA than the Jazz, so controlling the tempo and using the point of attack to drive right at their depleted frontcourt could be worthwhile.

Defense on a String

Isaac Okoro, Matas Buzelis of the Chicago Bulls — Jan 2, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis (14) celebrates with forward Isaac Okoro (35) after defeating the Orlando Magic in a NBA game at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

The Chicago Bulls need to play defense tonight. I know, scary!

Need I remind you that they allowed 150 points in their last meeting? Sure, it was an OT battle, but the Jazz still dropped 127 points heading into the extra time. The truth is that their offense can be pretty dynamic on certain nights, and they actually play a very similar style to what we have grown used to from the Chicago Bulls.

With Josh Giddey out of the lineup, Chicago's assist percentage has dropped to the sixth-highest in the NBA. The Jazz have stolen their spot at the top of the leaderboard with a 71.6 percent mark. They have seven players who average 9.0 points or more and four players who average at least 3.0 assists a night. Relatedly, they are one of the NBA's most active cutting teams and also love to attack off DHOs.

In other words, unlike the isolation-heavy Houston Rockets, the Utah Jazz are going to be moving constantly off the ball. The Bulls' defense is going to have to play on a string and hit their rotations. Unfortunately, that's A LOT easier said than done for this group.

"Help me, Issac Okoro, you're my only hope!"

The Keyonte George Effect

While Lauri Markkanen may be averaging career-highs, my eyes are more on Keyonte George. The guard has taken a pretty sizable step forward this season, averaging 23.8 points. Whether it be his 7.0 free throw attempts a night or 37.2 percent success rate from downtown, the 22-year-old is showing that he can take over stretches in more ways than one.

George is fresh off a 32-point outburst against the Cavaliers on Monday, where he went 8-16 from the field and 12-12 from the charity stripe. On top of that, he dished out 9 assists. When looking at the On/Off numbers this season, Utah is a +9.3 points per 100 possessions better when George is out there. That ranks in the NBA's 95th percentile, per Cleaning the Glass! The Bulls are very much going to struggle to win this game if both Markkanen and George are in a rhythm. Limiting George feels the most important, as he's primarily the engine behind Utah's high-tempo, quick-decision offense.

So, how can they do that? Tre Jones has played some really good ball over the last couple of weeks and is coming off one of his best nights of the year. Will the Bulls keep him in the starting lineup next to Coby White to help pressure George? If not, will Ayo Dosunmu see even more time on the court tonight? If one thing is for sure, Isaac Okoro is likely to be given Lauri Markkanen duties, as he spent the majority of the time guarding him in the Bulls' last meeting.