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| San Antonio Spurs Tony Parker goes to the basket against Toronto Raptors DeMar DeRozan (left) and Sonny Weems (right) during the first half of their NBA basketball game in Toronto on Wednesday |
Rose scored 11 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter and made key plays in the closing minutes to help team mate Boozer come out on top in his first game against Utah since signing with Chicago as a free agent for this season.
Boozer, who had spent the previous six seasons with the Jazz, was subjected to boos from the crowd throughout but managed 14 points and six rebounds for the Bulls (35-16).
“I got a little of everything,” Boozer told reporters of his hostile reception in Utah. “I’m just happy I won. It’s not a monster game or the biggest game of the season. We have to move on and keep winning.”
Al Jefferson tallied a team-high 26 points and Williams recorded 11 points and 12 assists for Utah (31-23), but he also committed three critical turnovers in the final minute as the home team fell to their second loss in three games.
Utah have lost three in a row at home for the first time since 2007. Trailing for most of the night, the Jazz stayed close throughout but could not make the key plays when it mattered most.
Rose made two free throws with 13 seconds left to give Chicago an 89-86 lead and Williams made an errant pass on Utah’s final possession to end their chances.
Rose defended Williams tightly the entire game.
“If it wasn’t for my team’s help I wouldn’t have done that,”
said Rose of his pressure defense. “I was very locked in. (Deron and I), we’re almost the same way. We’ll come at you every time.”
Bulls’ reserves Ronnie Brewer and Kyle Korver, who had both spent the past few seasons with the Jazz, played an important part in the victory.
Korver made a three-pointer with 2:16 to go to put Chicago ahead 87-83 while Brewer stole the late pass and made two free throws for the final margin.
Meanwhile, NBA doormat Cleveland matched the all-time record losing streak in American pro sport history on Wednesday as they suffered their 26th defeat in a row by falling 103-94 to Detroit.
Cavaliers coach Byron Scott kept the locker room closed for more than half an hour after the historic loss, then ripped the woeful squad for being unprepared for the game.
“I’m mad as hell,” Scott said. “I can deal with losing, especially when our guys play as hard as they have in the last couple weeks. But I find it very hard to deal with when guys don’t come out ready to play.
“We’ve got all professional basketball players in there and at some point in time you have to have some pride in what you’re doing.
“We didn’t come out with that pride. We came out just going thought the motions like we were going to win the game no matter what they did.
“Everybody has got to go home and take a good, hard look in the mirror.”
The Cavaliers extended their NBA record losing streak, having broken the old mark of 24 they set over the 1981-82 and 1982-83 seasons, and equaled US sport’s record run established by Grid Iron’s 1976-77 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Buccaneers went 0-14 in their 1976 debut season and started 0-12 in the 1977 campaign before finally winning.
“Everybody is mad as hell,” Cavaliers guard Daniel Gibson said. “To lose like that and for it to get to this point and still sometimes not see a sense of urgency, I can see why it would push you to that point (of anger).
“What are you going to do? It’s either do it or don’t. The guys have to figure that out.”
The Cavaliers, who began an eight-game homestand with the loss, will stand alone with the longest losing streak in American pro sport history if they go down at home Friday to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Sunday provides a solid chance for a victory as the Cavaliers host the Washington Wizards, who are 0-25 this season in road games, four shy of the NBA record for worst road record to start to a season.
“Something has to give when they play the Wizards,” said two-time reigning NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James, who left the Cavaliers last July for Miami to set off a downward spiral that has yet to end.