Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points and Rudy Gobert grabbed a sixth consecutive double-double as the Utah Jazz tightened their grip on the Western Conference standings with a 120-95 road win over the Chicago Bulls on Monday.
Mitchell laid on an exhibition of long-range shooting with five three-pointers from eight attempts in a comfortable victory for Utah, who improved to 31-11 with the win.
French international Gobert meanwhile added 21 points for the visitors while hauling down 10 rebounds and a career-high nine blocks in a dominant Utah defensive display against an outclassed Bulls line-up.
Chicago led by five points early in the first quarter, but when Mitchell and the Utah offense clicked, the home side were unable to respond.
Mitchell finished the first half with 21 points from seven-of-12 field goals as the Jazz swept into a 56-42 lead.
Utah kept up the scoring momentum after the interval, with in-form Australian Joe Ingles adding 17 from the bench while Jordan Clarkson (16) and Mike Conley (15) also cracked double figures.
Zach LaVine led the Chicago scoring with 27 points while Thaddeus Young added 14 for the Bulls, who fell to 19-23 with the loss.
Utah coach Quin Snyder said his team’s defensive display had been cornerstone of the victory.
“Getting stops was the key for us,” Snyder said. “That’s where our mindset has to be, and tonight we came out with a sense of purpose.”
Elsewhere Monday, the Milwaukee Bucks shrugged off the injury absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo to extend their winning streak to seven games with a 140-115 blowout over the Indiana Pacers.
Point guard Jrue Holiday finished with 28 points and 14 assists as the Bucks shared the offensive duties around with NBA Most Valuable Player Antetokounmpo ruled out with a knee injury.
Khris Middleton had 25 points for Milwaukee and Pat Connaughton 20 while Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis contributed 18 points apiece.
The Bucks improved to 28-14 to remain in third place in the Eastern Conference, behind leaders Philadelphia and second-placed Brooklyn. Indiana are 10th in the Eastern Conference table on 19-23.
There was a collective sigh of relief at the Toyota Center in Houston as the Rockets finally halted a 20-game losing streak with a 117-99 win over the Toronto Raptors.
Jae’Sean Tate’s 22 points and 20 points from Sterling Brown handed the Rockets their first victory since February 4.
Rockets coach Stephen Silas, who had been rendered speechless at a press conference on Sunday following his team’s 20th straight defeat, could not hide his delight.
“It’s indescribable,” Silas told reporters. “I’m just so proud of the guys. When you’re fighting so hard and seeing the disappointment in the players faces when you go through loss after loss after loss.
“To go in the locker room after the game and see everybody’s faces so happy and joyous … it’s super cool, great. I’m just so happy for those guys.”