Utah Jazz: Deron Williams gets better of Derrick Rose, Jazz beat Bulls

CHICAGO — With six lead changes and 14 fastbreak points for Chicago, the first half had its flaws for the Jazz.

So did the second, but that didn't stop Utah from opening a four-game road trip with a 132-108 win over Chicago and handing the Bulls their fifth straight loss Tuesday night at the United Center.

"We didn't do a great job in the second half, but we did a better job," point guard Deron Williams said after scoring a game-high 28 points and dishing a game-high 17 assists. "I still think we were soft in the second — just not as soft."

C.J. Miles added 26 points off the bench for the 41-22 Jazz, who came up one point shy of matching their highest scoring output of the season and improved to 17-1 — the lone loss at Denver in January — when scoring 110 or more.

"But we look at the 108," Williams said. "Our defense isn't where it needs to be, and we're not going to continue to win on the road if we play like that."

"We helped a little bit better (on defense in the second half)," added coach Jerry Sloan, whose club — winner now of 22 of its last 27 — plays tonight at Detroit. "If we're gonna do anything, we've got to help a lot better."

Up by two at halftime and tied at 77 with just more than five minutes left in the third quarter, the Jazz used a 13-1 run for separation from the 31-32 Bulls.

Two Boozer turnovers and one by Mehmet Okur on a too-deep lob to Boozer preceded the decisive stretch.

"We just tightened up (then)," said Boozer, who had 16 points and a game-high 10 rebounds for his 41st double-double this season. "We just came together and said, 'We've got to make them miss some shots, get some rebounds and take off.'" We put enough stops together after them three turnovers to get going a little bit."

Paul Millsap started the spurt with an Andrei Kirilenko-fed layup, and Miles — who finished 9-for-12 from the field, 6-for-7 from behind the long-distance line — capped it with a 3-pointer.

But the spark was a picturesque Williams dunk over Bulls point Derrick Rose, initiated by 16-point scorer Millsap's steal from Luol Deng and delivered by rookie Wesley Matthews.

"I just was hoping Wes Matthews would pass it," Williams joked, "because on the break he hasn't passed too many times this year."

Williams wound up getting the best of Rose on that possession, but the two went at it all game.

The Jazz point shot 11-for-15, including 3-for-4 from 3-point range, while Rose, who scored a team-high 25 with a career high-matching 13 assists, hit 10-for-19.

Entertaining, if not wise.

"You've got two incredible point guards who kept pushing the ball," Boozer said. "I mean, that was one helluva matchup we just watched out there. A great game to watch.

"They kept getting the ball, so everybody kept running."