London ? The Jazz might have won fans this week in England, but they lost Tuesday night's preseason game to the Chicago Bulls, falling 102-101 on James Johnson's 16-footer at the buzzer. Johnson came up with the rebound after Derrick Byars' three-pointer bounced hard off the back rim and hit the game-winner from the left side. The Bulls rookie had airballed a three-pointer only seconds earlier. With the teams playing under hybrid international rules, there was no replay of Johnson's shot on the court. Later replays confirmed that it was good.
Rookie Wesley Matthews started for the Jazz and made an impression, scoring 16 points and hitting three, three-pointers. That included 11 points in the third quarter, when the Jazz rallied after falling behind by 11.
Matthews' chances of making the Jazz's roster increased after C.J. Miles suffered a ruptured ligament in his left thumb Monday. Miles will undergo surgery Wednesday in New York but will not be ready for the start of the season.
Deron Williams scored 12 of his 16 points in the third quarter and Paul Millsap had 10 of his 18 in the fourth, including a three-point play on the break that pulled the Jazz within 84-82 with 9:00 remaining.
The Jazz's first-ever game in Europe drew a sellout crowd of 18,689 to The O2 arena, with fans cheering everything from dunks to three-pointers to steals, blocks and rebounds as well as the Jazz dance and stunt teams.
rsiler@sltrib.com
