If they didn't already feel convinced of their decision to keep Carlos Boozer this season, the Jazz had to be sure they did the right thing after Thursday's 105-86 victory over the Bulls. It was Boozer's best performance of the season and maybe one of the best of his career. Boozer finished with 28 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three blocks while going 12-for-14 from the field against the Bulls, the team that he first expressed his desire to be traded to only 4 1/2 months ago. The Jazz shot 60.8 percent for the night and built a 17-point lead in the first half. Boozer was 7-for-7 in the half as the Jazz carved up the Bulls when they tried to trap Deron Williams off the pick-and-roll.
Boozer had two three-point plays in the third quarter, a jumper over Joakim Noah and a dunk off the pick-and-roll. The Jazz took full advantage with the Bulls missing injured forward Tyrus Thomas in the frontcourt.
The Jazz are 5-2 in their last seven games, with Boozer averaging 23.6 points, 10.7 rebounds and shooting 59.6 percent in that time.
"He stepped up in a big way," Williams said. "You can see he's back to where he was a couple years ago when he was an All-Star. Hopefully he can just keep producing like this because he's playing great on both ends of the floor."
The Jazz, 2-1 on their six-game homestand, will try to reverse their fortunes in the Northwest Division (0-2) and Western Conference (3-5) when they face Portland on Saturday. The Jazz trailed the Blazers and Nuggets by three games in the division through Thursday.
JAZZ 105, BULLS 86: The Jazz recovered from Tuesday's loss to Oklahoma City by hammering the Bulls behind Carlos Boozer. The Jazz won the second quarter 29-18 and shot better than 60 percent in a game for the first time since March 8, 2008 against Denver.
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