SALT LAKE CITY -- Finding a way to impact games has never been a question for Jimmy Butler. Still, he is unlocking a whole new level with his skills this season.Guarding Butler is quickly becoming a defensive nightmare for a host of NBA teams. The sixth-year guard is averaging 28.6 points, 8.0 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 3.4 steals over the past five games and has Chicago (7-4) climbing the Eastern Conference ladder. The Bulls are riding a three-game winning streak heading into a Thursday night game against the Utah Jazz.Butler is a major driving force behind the surge. His fingerprints can be found everywhere on both ends of the court as he has taken visible ownership of the team early in the season.Its going to have to be me to lead the charge when it comes to coming out with the right energy -- making sure were doing everything were supposed to do at both ends, Butler said Tuesday before the Bulls 113-88 win over the Trail Blazers in Portland.Chicago needs Butlers efforts, as point guard Rajon Rondo is recovering from a sprained ankle. Rondo did not play against the Blazers and did not practice Wednesday. His status remains day-to-day heading into Salt Lake City.Jerian Grant has fared well so far in relief of Rondo, scoring a season-high 18 points and recording a career-high five steals against Portland. On defense, he limited high-scoring Blazers guard Damian Lillard to just 19 points on 7-of-22 shooting.Utah (7-5) is still dealing with injuries to a couple of starters, forcing the Jazz to dig deep into their bench early in the season.Derrick Favors is not expected to play against Chicago after playing only 22 minutes in the Jazzs 102-96 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday. Favors did not play in the fourth quarter after experiencing soreness in his left knee. He missed the season opener and played under a minutes restriction for several games while dealing with problems in the same knee.George Hill and Rodney Hood also did not play against the Grizzlies. Hill remains day-to-day as he continues to recover from a sprained right thumb. Hood is expected to return to action after missing a game because of an undisclosed illness.One thing that keeping the Jazz going even while they battle the injury bug is solid defense. Utah is holding opponents to 93.8 points per game while allowing teams to shoot just 43.9 percent from the field. The Jazz are forcing 12.8 turnovers per contest and blocking 5.3 shots per game.Anybody that sets foot on that court can guard, Utah coach Quin Snyder said. If thats our focus, things may not be as pretty as we want offensively, but thats at least something we can pretty much make a constant and (we can) have stability by defending.Utah and Chicago split the season series a year ago. The Jazz beat the Bulls 105-96 in overtime in Salt Lake City on Feb. 1 behind 27 points from Gordon Hayward. Sam Reinhart Jersey . The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling "puts an end to my dreams of being a top player," the 27-year-old Troicki said in a statement. 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Alexander Mogilny Jersey .com) - The Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks both take aim at their first wins of the season on Saturday, as the Canucks open their home slate at Rogers Arena.NASHVILLE -- The Tennessee Titans have agreed to terms with offensive guard Chance Warmack, who had been the last remaining unsigned first-round draft pick. The Titans announced Monday that Warmack had agreed to a deal, but did not release any details of the contract. Warmack sent out a tweet saying, "Time to get to work! .Blessed." The Tennessean reported the former Alabama All-American has agreed to a four-year contract that features a fifth-year team option and has a total value of $12.17 million with a $7.2 million signing bonus. Warmack, the 10th overall pick in the draft, was a three-year starter at Alabama who was part of three national championship teams during his college career. Tennessee is counting on Warmack to contribute right away, but the rookie had missed the Titans first four training-camp practices. The Titans didnt practice Monday. The Titans thought highly enough of Warmack to use a first-round draft pick on an offensive lineman for the first time since they took Illlinois Brad Hopkins with the 13th overall pick in 1993.ddddddddddddWarmack is expected to play a key role in the reconstruction of the Titans interior of their offensive line. The Titans needed to beef up their line after struggling to open up running room for Chris Johnson and ranking last in the NFL in time of possession in 2012. During the off-season, the Titans lured free-agent guard Andy Levitre away from Buffalo with a six-year, $46.8 million contract. After picking up Warmack in the first round of the draft, they also used a fourth-round selection on California guard/centre Brian Schwenke. After the Titans drafted Warmack, Tennessee coach Mike Munchak said he could foresee a line that had Levitre at left guard with Warmack at right guard. Warmack had practiced with the first-team offence during the Titans off-season program. The Titans had been rotating Fernando Velasco and Rob Turner at right guard during their first four training-camp practices while Warmack was unsigned. Stitched Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Store Wholesale Authentic Jerseys China NFL Hoodies Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Womens Jerseys ' ' '