Utah Jazz 31-Point Comeback vs. Chicago Bulls - February 4, 1998

On February 4, 1998, the Utah Jazz staged another remarkable comeback at the Delta Center, rallying from a 31-point deficit to defeat Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls 101-93.

Chicago dominated the opening minutes. The Bulls led 35-13 after the first quarter and stretched the advantage to 49-18 early in the second quarter. Utah appeared headed toward a blowout loss against the defending NBA champions.

Instead, the game completely changed. Utah cut the deficit to 56-45 by halftime, held Chicago to only 13 points in the third quarter and entered the fourth leading 71-69. The Jazz then outscored Chicago 30-24 in the final period to complete the comeback.

Karl Malone led Utah with 30 points, while John Stockton recorded 17 points and 18 assists. Michael Jordan scored 40 points for Chicago.

The Bulls overwhelmed Utah at the start. Chicago scored 35 points in the first quarter while holding the Jazz to only 13, giving the defending champions a 22-point advantage after just 12 minutes.

Chicago then stretched the lead to 49-18 early in the second quarter. At that point the Bulls were ahead by 31 points, their largest lead of the game.

Utah had made only six field goals during the entire first quarter. Karl Malone scored eight of the Jazz's 13 points, while John Stockton and Jeff Hornacek were both held scoreless.

Against a Chicago team that had won five championships in the previous seven seasons, the game appeared to be getting away from Utah quickly.

The comeback started before halftime. After falling behind 49-18, Utah began cutting into Chicago's advantage and outscored the Bulls over the remainder of the second quarter.

Utah scored 32 points in the period after managing only 13 in the first. By halftime, Chicago's 31-point advantage had been reduced to 56-45.

The Jazz had erased 13 points from the maximum deficit before the teams reached the locker room.

Utah's defense took control after halftime.

The Jazz held Chicago to only 13 points in the third quarter while scoring 26. A game the Bulls had once led by 24 had completely reversed.

Utah finished the quarter with a 71-69 lead, meaning the Jazz had outscored Chicago 53-20 since falling behind 49-18.

Chicago shot poorly during the middle two quarters, allowing Utah to turn what had looked like a blowout into a competitive game and then into a Jazz lead.

The Jazz did not give the lead back in the fourth quarter. Utah scored 30 points over the final 12 minutes and held Chicago to 24.

John Stockton was especially important late, scoring eight points and handing out six assists during the fourth quarter.

Utah eventually finished off a 101-93 victory, turning a 31-point deficit into an eight-point win.

From the moment Chicago took its largest lead at 49-18, Utah outscored the Bulls 83-44.

John Stockton delivered one of his finest passing performances of the season, finishing with 17 points, 18 assists and five steals.

Stockton made six of 12 shots and all four of his free throws. His 18 assists matched Chicago's entire team total.

After going scoreless during the first quarter, Stockton had seven points and nine assists by halftime and continued to control the offense as Utah completed the comeback.

His five steals were also the most recorded by any player in the game.

Karl Malone led Utah with 30 points on highly efficient 14-for-21 shooting. He also collected eight rebounds, handed out four assists and blocked two shots.

Malone scored eight of Utah's 13 first-quarter points and remained the Jazz's most reliable scorer throughout the comeback.

Bryon Russell provided a major boost with 13 points, making all four of his three-point attempts. Shandon Anderson scored 11 points in only 15 minutes, while Chris Morris contributed 10 points and six rebounds off the bench.

Michael Jordan led Chicago with 40 points, shooting 17-for-37 from the field. He also recorded seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and a blocked shot in 43 minutes.

Jordan accounted for 40 of Chicago's 93 points and attempted 37 of the Bulls' 82 field goals.

Ron Harper was Chicago's only other player to reach double figures in scoring, finishing with 14 points and three steals.

Luc Longley had eight points and a game-high 11 rebounds.

Scottie Pippen played 25 minutes and finished with nine points, two rebounds, two assists and three steals.

Pippen aggravated his right hamstring during the game and did not play during the final 18 minutes. His absence left Chicago without one of its best defenders and playmakers as Utah completed the comeback.

Dennis Rodman played 38 minutes but was held to only four rebounds. He entered the game as the NBA's leading rebounder at 15.7 per game.

The victory completed Utah's two-game regular-season sweep of Chicago.

Just 10 days earlier, on January 25, the Jazz had defeated the Bulls 101-94 at the United Center. That victory ended Chicago's 17-game home winning streak and a 38-game home winning streak against Western Conference opponents.

The February 4 comeback gave Utah another victory over the defending champions and made the Jazz the first Western Conference team in three years to sweep a regular-season series from Chicago.

The game became even more historically interesting because the same teams would meet again four months later in the NBA Finals.

Utah finished the 1997-98 regular season 62-20 and earned home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. Chicago also finished 62-20, but Utah held the tiebreaker because of its two regular-season victories over the Bulls.

The Jazz and Bulls eventually advanced through their respective conferences and met in the NBA Finals for the second consecutive season.

Chicago won that series in six games, with Michael Jordan's famous final shot as a Bull giving Chicago an 87-86 victory in Game 6 at the Delta Center.

The victory came less than 15 months after Utah had completed an even larger comeback on the same home floor.

On November 27, 1996, the Jazz trailed the Denver Nuggets by 36 points before rallying to win 107-103, setting the NBA regular-season record for the largest deficit overcome in a victory.

View Utah's 36-point comeback against Denver »

The Chicago comeback gave the Stockton-Malone era another remarkable rally and came against one of the greatest teams of the 1990s.

Date: February 4, 1998

Location: Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah

Attendance: 19,911

Final Score: Utah Jazz 101, Chicago Bulls 93

Largest Utah Deficit: 31 points

Score at Largest Deficit: Chicago 49, Utah 18

Halftime Score: Chicago 56, Utah 45

Score After Third Quarter: Utah 71, Chicago 69

Utah Record After Game: 31-15

Chicago Record After Game: 34-15

Utah Leading Scorer: Karl Malone - 30 points

Chicago Leading Scorer: Michael Jordan - 40 points

Leading Rebounder: Luc Longley - 11 rebounds

Most Assists: John Stockton - 18 assists

Most Steals: John Stockton - 5 steals

Officials: Bennie Adams, Joe DeRosa and Bennett Salvatore

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